Portugal’s Nuno Mendes tests spain’s Lamine Yamal in World Cup showdown

Portugal and Spain meet in the World Cup round of 16, with Cristiano Ronaldo facing off against Lamine Yamal. The Portuguese defence has been marshalled by Nuno Mendes in the first half, keeping Yamal largely out of the game while also posing an attacking threat. Nuno Mendes produced a powerful strike from inside the box that cannoned back off the crossbar in the 41st minute. Earlier, João Félix kept the ball in play with a deft header towards Ronaldo, who then forced Unai Simón into a save with a first-time effort. Spain struggled to carve out clear chances in the opening period. Dani Olmo’s rebound header after a Diogo Costa save flew wide, while Lamine Yamal remained largely subdued under Mendes’s close attention. Portugal’s defence held firm as Veiga intervened to intercept a dangerous pass intended for Yamal. The Spanish attack continued to probe, with Baena forcing Costa into another save, while Yamal’s curling effort was also tipped away by the Portuguese goalkeeper. Cristiano Ronaldo finally made his presence felt late in the first half. Pedri lost possession and Ronaldo broke forward, cutting inside from the right before forcing Simón into a smart stop.

Yamal’s 7.5/10 shines in Spain’s late win over Portugal

Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal came closest to scoring when he received a through ball from Dani Olmo. The linesman’s flag stayed down and Oyarzabal’s shot clipped the outside of the post, with replays confirming no offside had been given. Cancelo then drove forward for Portugal’s first meaningful counter, but his strike sailed over the bar from the edge of the area. Spain’s opening chance had come via Oyarzabal, whose long-range effort was comfortably gathered by Costa. The referee for this high-stakes tie is Anthony Taylor, who has already shown a firm hand at this World Cup, dishing out five yellow cards and one red across his two previous matches.

Portugal’s late exit leaves CR7’s final World Cup bow unfulfilled

Spain and Portugal last met on 8 June 2025 in the UEFA Nations League final, which ended 1-1 after 90 minutes, 2-2 after extra time, and was decided by a 5-3 penalty shoot-out victory for Portugal. Ronaldo scored in that shoot-out. With Ronaldo set to retire from international football after this match if Portugal are eliminated, tonight’s game could mark the end of an era for the Portuguese legend.