Portugal lost to Spain in a last-minute heartbreak as Ronaldo broke down in tears after Portugal was eliminated in the 2026 World Cup Round of 16.
On 7 July 2026, in the 2026 World Cup Round of 16 matchday 3, Portugal faced Spain. Cristiano Ronaldo, the 41-year-old star striker, sought a victory to keep Portugal’s hopes alive for their first World Cup title and for his own career milestone.
In the 12th minute of the first half, Cristiano Ronaldo had a chance to score when Portugal intercepted the ball. Bruno Fernandes passed to Cristiano Ronaldo, who shot from the right side of the penalty area, but Unai Simón, covering the near post, made the save.
At the 16th minute, Spain nearly took the lead. Lamin Yamal dribbled cutting inside from the right to shoot in the penalty area, but Diogo Costa dived to block. Alex Baena collected the rebound and curled a shot, but Diogo Costa saved again.
In the 41st minute, Portugal came very close to scoring from a short corner. Nuno Mendes struck a powerful shot from outside the penalty area, which deflected off Pedro Porro and hit the crossbar loudly. The first half ended scoreless at 0-0.
In the second half, during stoppage time at 90+1 minutes, Spain scored the winning goal. Substitute Ferran Torres provided a through pass to substitute Miguel Merino, who broke into the penalty area and shot past Diogo Costa into the near post.
The match ended with Cristiano Ronaldo missing out on his first World Cup title, and Portugal’s 2026 World Cup journey concluded at the Round of 16 stage.
Meanwhile, Spain advanced to the quarterfinals and will face the winner between the United States and Belgium.