Cristiano Ronaldo officially closed his journey at the 2026 World Cup after Portugal lost to Spain 0-1 in the round of 16.
Mikel Merino's goal in injury time helped Spain qualify for the quarterfinals, and closed Ronaldo's last World Cup in his career in a regretful way.
In a match predicted to last until extra time, the turning point only came in the 90+1 minute. Ferran Torres launched a decisive pass for Merino to finish past goalkeeper Diogo Costa, bringing a minimal victory for La Roja.
Before that, the two teams created many chances. Mikel Oyarzabal missed a good opportunity for Spain, while Ronaldo was twice rejected by goalkeeper Unai Simon. Nuno Mendes also hit the crossbar after a shot changed direction, and Alex Baena made Diogo Costa show his talent to save.
The victory helped Spain win a ticket to the quarter-finals, where they will meet the winner in the match between the USA and Belgium.
Ronaldo misses last chance on World Cup stage
The focus of the match is still Ronaldo. Before the confrontation with Spain, the 41-year-old superstar confirmed that this will be the last World Cup in his career.
Despite being given a starting spot and captain's armband by coach Roberto Martinez, Ronaldo could not make a difference. He only touched the ball 19 times in the whole match, including 12 times in the first half and 7 times after halftime, of which there was no touch after the 80th minute.
This veteran striker launched three shots. The clearest opportunity came in the 37th minute when he rushed in to volley after Unai Simon's save, but the Spanish goalkeeper continued to win in a one-on-one situation.
Statistics show that Portugal only created 0.58 expected goals (xG) after 10 shots. Notably, Martinez continued to let Goncalo Ramos sit on the bench, despite the fact that this striker had shone in the previous victory over Croatia.
This is a controversial decision because at the 2022 World Cup, Ramos scored a hat-trick when replacing Ronaldo in the starting lineup, opening up expectations for a generational transition. However, Martinez continues to place his trust in CR7 for most of the 2026 World Cup campaign.
Ronaldo still owns a massive record with five Golden Balls, five Champions League titles and a series of domestic titles. However, the World Cup trophy is still the biggest gap in the collection of one of the greatest players in football history.
For Martinez, the defeat against Spain is likely to make the debate about continuing to place absolute faith in Ronaldo even harder. The Spanish strategist's gamble ultimately did not bring the expected outcome, and Portugal once again missed out on the dream of conquering the World Cup.
Of course, I am very sad to have to leave the World Cup like this. But I have said since yesterday that I have done everything I could.
That's football, sometimes win, sometimes lose and we have to continue. This is my last World Cup" - Ronaldo shared.
