WATCH | Cristiano Ronaldo breaks down in tears as Spain's last-gasp goal ends his FIFA World Cup career
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "WATCH | Cristiano Ronaldo breaks down in tears as Spain's last-gasp goal ends his FIFA World Cup career")
Cristiano Ronaldo Photograph: (AFP)
Cristiano Ronaldo's FIFA World Cup career ended as Spain beat Portugal 1-0, with Mikel Merino's late goal sending La Roja into the quarterfinals
Cristiano Ronaldo's remarkable FIFA World Cup journey came to an emotional end as Portugal were knocked out of the 2026 tournament following a heartbreaking 1-0 defeat to Spain in the Round of 16. Substitute Mikel Merino scored deep into second-half stoppage time to send Spain into the quarter-finals and end Ronaldo's final appearance on football's biggest stage. The 41-year-old Portugal captain, who made his World Cup debut in 2006, had already confirmed before the match that the 2026 edition would be his last.
Following the final whistle, Ronaldo was overcome with emotion as tears streamed down his face. The Portuguese superstar was comforted by teammates while supporters inside the stadium in Dallas rose to applaud one of football's greatest-ever players.
Spain's victory secured their first World Cup quarter-final appearance since lifting their only FIFA World Cup title in South Africa in 2010. They will now face either the United States or Belgium in Los Angeles on Friday. Portugal had been aiming to reach consecutive World Cup quarter-finals for the first time in the nation's history, but Spain's late breakthrough ended those hopes and brought Ronaldo's illustrious World Cup career to a close.
Spain set new World Cup defensive record
Spain continued their remarkable defensive form by extending their World Cup clean-sheet streak to six consecutive matches, setting a new tournament record. Goalkeeper Unai Simón also established a new individual milestone, stretching his scoreless run to 609 consecutive minutes. Spain moved ahead of Italy's 1990 side and Switzerland's team from the 2006-2010 tournaments, both of whom had previously shared the record for consecutive World Cup matches without conceding a goal.
Spain's defensive run began with their goalless Round of 16 encounter against Morocco at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, a match they eventually lost on penalties. During the 2026 tournament, Spain opened with an unexpected 0-0 draw against Cape Verde before recording four successive clean-sheet victories to reach the quarterfinals. Simón had already surpassed legendary Italy goalkeeper Walter Zenga's previous individual record of 517 consecutive scoreless World Cup minutes during Spain's victory over Austria in the previous knockout round.
Ronaldo denied by Simon
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Despite Portugal's defeat, Cristiano Ronaldo came close to adding another World Cup goal to his legendary international record.
Unai Simón produced two important first-half saves to deny the Portuguese captain. The second stop was particularly outstanding, as the Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper made a full-length diving save, reaching back to gather the ball cleanly with both hands while still airborne.
Ronaldo had struck after teammate José Sá's header deflected off Simón's shoulder, but the Spanish goalkeeper reacted brilliantly to preserve his clean sheet. The performance further underlined Spain's defensive dominance as they advanced to the last eight with yet another shutout. For Ronaldo, however, it marked the final chapter of an unforgettable World Cup career that began two decades earlier and cemented his place among football's all-time greats.
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