FIFA World Cup 2026 | Moment of respect: Spain's teen sensation Yamal hugs emotional Cristiano Ronaldo after Portugal's WC exit

Spanish teen sensation Lamine Yamal was seen hugging it out with 41yearold Portugal legend Cristiano Ronaldo after the latters FIFA World Cup dream was once again shattered with a round of 16 exit at the hands of Spain at Dallas on MondayThe clash between Spain and Portugal was a battle of generations with 18yearold Yamal battling it out with 41yearold Cristiano a football institution in himself It was Yamals side which came out on top and once again Cristiano was forced to leave the pitch with tears in his eyesThe match was full of chances for both sides to score and capitalise but none of them could capitalise till the stoppage time when two Spanish substitutes decided to create magic In stoppage time first minute Mikel Merino spelt out death for Portugals FIFA WC campaign with a stunning goal Spain fell short with a freekick and Fabian Ruiz found Ferran Torres who had come as a substitute Torres slipped the ball to another substitute Merino who delivered a clinical finish into the bottom cornerBernardo Silva missed a massive chance to score and later another free kick from Portugal missed the goal by miles sending Portugal out of the competition and ending Ronaldos journey in the FIFA WCSince Cristianos debut at the grandest stage Portugal has achieved fourth place in his debut tournament in 2006 followed by a round of 16 in the 2010 edition then a group stage exit in 2014 and then another prequarterfinal exit in 2018 The 2022 edition saw Portugal doing slightly better making it to the quarterfinals but it was his longtime rival Lionel Messi who pretty much ended the GOAT debates by capturing the prestigious trophy for Argentina and delivering a sensational performance in the finalCristianos FIFA World Cup career ends with 27 matches second most by a player and just 11 goals underwhelming for a player of his stature and level of club accomplishments Heading into the tournament there were a lot of questions around Cristianos participation but as an individual he had a rather decent outing with three goals in five matches in this edition However during his final match he made an unfortunate record recording 17 shots during a FIFA WC without creating a single chance for his teammates the most by any playerThe ongoing tournament cohosted by the USA Canada and Mexico saw Cristiano break into the record books once again despite the dips and give the world a statement of his longevityAgainst Croatia in the round of 32 a match which Portugal won 21 CR7 became the first player in history to feature in a FIFA World Cup knockout match at the age of 41 or older The match also marked a unique milestone as it was the first in World Cup history to feature two outfield players aged 40 or above with Ronaldo facing former Real Madrid teammate Luka ModricThe appearance also saw him extend another record as he became the oldest goalscorer in World Cup knockout history at 41 years and 147 days further underlining his longevity and enduring impact at the highest level This was also his firstever FIFA World Cup knockout goal removing a massive stain from his illustrious careerPortugal started off with a dull 11 draw against DR Congo in the group stage with Cristiano failing to make an impact and inviting a lot of criticism with his poor performanceDuring the match against Uzbekistan a 50 win Ronaldo led Portugals charge with two goals while Nuno Mendes and Rafael Leao also found the net An own goal involving Uzbekistan goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov further compounded the misery for Fabio Cannavaros side as Roberto Martinezs men secured their first win of the tournament in emphatic fashionRonaldos brace saw him become Portugals alltime leading scorer in FIFA World Cup history taking his tally to 10 goals surpassing Eusebios record of nine Eusebio a Portuguese legend and 1965 Ballon dOr winner famously guided the team to third place at the 1966 World Cup Behind Ronaldo and Eusebio Pauleta is third on Portugals World Cup scoring list with four goalsRonaldo also became the first player to score in six different FIFA World Cup tournaments ending his 10match goalless streak across major competitions the FIFA World Cup and the Euro Championship Portugal ended their group stage with an underwhelming goalless draw against ColombiaThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever