Milan, 6 July (LaPresse) – Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal have seen their 2026 World Cup campaign come to an end in the round of 16, having been beaten 1–0 by Spain. La Roja fly through to the quarter-finals thanks to Mikel Merino’s goal in stoppage time. The first half ended 0–0 but there was no shortage of chances, particularly in the early stages of the match, when Spain came close to taking the lead through Oyarzabal, who squandered a glorious one-on-one opportunity against Costa. The Portuguese goalkeeper was also decisive in saving long-range efforts from Yamal and Baena. Portugal responded through Cristiano Ronaldo, who looked dangerous first with a shot blocked by the opposition defence and then with a spectacular overhead kick. The Portuguese side grew in confidence towards the end, coming close to scoring through Nuno Mendes, whose effort was denied by the crossbar. In the second half, the match remained deadlocked for a long time, with few clear-cut chances. Spain tried to create danger through Baena, Olmo and Ferran Torres, whilst Portugal responded with Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes, though without ever seriously troubling Unai Simon. Mikel Merino, who came on in the 85th minute, sealed the victory, beating the Spanish goalkeeper in the first minute of stoppage time following a perfect assist from Ferran Torres. In the 96th minute, Bernardo Silva had one last glorious chance, but his header went just over the bar. Spain will now face the winner of the USA v Belgium match.
2026 World Cup, Portugal v Spain 0–1: Cristiano Ronaldo’s World Cup era comes to an end
Milan, 6 July (LaPresse) – Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal have seen their 2026 World Cup campaign come to an end in the round of 16, having been beaten 1–0 by Spain. La Roja fly through to the quarter-finals thanks to Mikel Merino’s goal in stoppage time. The first half ended 0–0 but there was no shortage of chances, particularly in the early stages of the match, when Spain came close to taking the lead through Oyarzabal, who squandered a glorious one-on-one opportunity against Costa. The Portuguese goalkeeper was also decisive in saving long-range efforts from Yamal and Baena. Portugal responded through Cristiano Ronaldo, who looked dangerous first with a shot blocked by the opposition defence and then with a spectacular overhead kick. The Portuguese side grew in confidence towards the end, coming close to scoring through Nuno Mendes, whose effort was denied by the crossbar. In the second half, the match remained deadlocked for a long time, with few clear-cut chances. Spain tried to create danger through Baena, Olmo and Ferran Torres, whilst Portugal responded with Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes, though without ever seriously troubling Unai Simon. Mikel Merino, who came on in the 85th minute, sealed the victory, beating the Spanish goalkeeper in the first minute of stoppage time following a perfect assist from Ferran Torres. In the 96th minute, Bernardo Silva had one last glorious chance, but his header went just over the bar. Spain will now face the winner of the USA v Belgium match.
