Modric and Ronaldo brace for a World Cup farewell in Toronto

Modric vs Ronaldo: one last dance in Toronto

Croatia face Portugal in the round of 32, and the subtext is inescapable. Luka Modric, 40, against Cristiano Ronaldo. One of these legends walks away from the World Cup forever at BMO Field.

Modric has been playing like he is 20. His teammates see no end in sight. Petar Sucic backed him to continue indefinitely. But this is almost certainly his final World Cup. The same goes for Ronaldo.

The winner gets a knockout run. The loser goes home.

Croatia reached the knockouts by beating Ghana

A 2–1 win over Ghana sealed second place in Group L. Petar Sucic scored early to put Croatia ahead, and the result booked the knockout spot behind group winners England.

The match was not clean. Ante Budimir was denied a penalty that former referee Keith Hackett called clear. The officiating bar at this tournament, Hackett said, was set too high. It did not matter in the end.

Fan reactions

Croatia enter the round of 32 as the 12th most valuable squad at the tournament by market value. Some fans on Reddit argue that ranking undervalues the experience in this side, particularly with Modric still pulling the strings. Read the full discussion here.