Ronaldo's last World Cup ends in tears — Spain's late goal knocks Portugal out

The whistle, and a teenager consoling a 41-year-old

After Spain beat Portugal 1-0 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the camera found Cristiano Ronaldo standing still, in tears. The player who came over to put an arm around him was Lamine Yamal, Spain's 18-year-old forward. Ronaldo had said before the match that this would be his last World Cup. It ended with the youngest star on the pitch consoling the oldest.

Ninety minutes of nothing, then one Spanish move

For 90 minutes neither side scored. Spain had the better of it — 56% of the ball, 1.77 expected goals, 15 shots with six on target — but could not break through, and Portugal keeper Diogo Costa kept his side level with a run of saves. Mikel Oyarzabal was clean through early and shot wide; Portugal's best moment was a Nuno Mendes strike that cannoned off the crossbar. Then, in the first minute of stoppage time, Rodri fed Ferran Torres, who turned and slid the ball to Merino, unmarked in the box. Merino beat Costa at last, and a game that looked bound for extra time was suddenly over.

Six World Cups, no goodbye like this one

Ronaldo, 41, has now played in six World Cups, from 2006 to 2026 — this summer he became the first man to score in six different editions. His penalty in Portugal's 2-1 win over Croatia in the round of 32 was his first-ever World Cup knockout goal, and at 41 years and 147 days he became the oldest player to score in a knockout match. A seventh tournament, in 2030, would come at age 45. For all the records, a World Cup title was the one prize that stayed out of reach — and this was as deep as any of his six runs would take him.

Yamal's turn

The contrast on the field was the story. Yamal, 18, was the youngest player since 1966 to log both 10-plus touches in the opposition box and 10 successful dribbles in a single World Cup match. Spain arrived here without a stumble — they won their group and beat Austria 3-0 in the round of 32 — and have come through the knockout rounds without conceding, which now makes them look like one of the tournament's clearest favorites. Spain have won the World Cup only once, in 2010, and 16 years on the chase for a second is being led by a teenager. The generation that grew up watching Ronaldo is the one that sent him home.

Spain's quarterfinal opponent is decided today

Spain move into a last eight that is nearly set: Morocco meet France on July 9 near Boston, and England face Norway on July 11 in Miami. Spain's opponent comes from the United States against Belgium, which kicks off at 09:00 JST today in Seattle.