On Monday, a battle between Iberian neighbors, Portugal and Spain, came to Dallas for a spot in the quarterfinals. It was a matchup of UEFA giants and extreme talent as the past decades of iconic excellence, Cristiano Ronaldo, met the present and future of the game, Lamine Yamal. It was also the first meeting between two top-five FIFA-ranked nations at the World Cup ahead of the final eight since 2014, when Germany won 4-0 against Portugal in the group stage. In the end, it was Spain who overcame a late goal from Mikel Merino, and just like 12 years ago, Portugal sadly bowed out. And Ronaldo just had his last dance. Here are my takeaways. 1. Ronaldo’s Incredible World Cup Journey Comes To An End The Portuguese superstar became the first player to score in six different World Cup editions, which is just an astonishing record. He also became the oldest player to play (41 years, 147 days) and score in a knockout match, and his penalty against Croatia was his first-ever goal in the knockout stages. But sadly, the trophy never came. And that was it. A tremendous, world-class icon whose longevity can only be admired. Even if the silverware on the biggest stage never came. Goodbye, Ronaldo. Thank you for the memories. 2. Tremendous Tournament From Diogo Costa The Porto goalkeeper was fantastic in this tournament and kept Spain out for a large part of the day. He made three key saves in the first half, including some impressive, reactionary saves from Lamine Yamal, and added two more in the second. As Spain continued to push, it was Portugal’s stopper who kept La Roja away from taking the lead until Merino netted the stoppage-time winner. You can’t blame the keeper for the loss; he did his part. 3. But Unai Simón, My Goodness More than 200 minutes of keeping a clean sheet, including today’s performance. There’s a reason why he’s Spain’s no. 1 and keeping Arsenal’s David Raya at bay. We always talk a lot about Spain’s formidable attacking fluidity, but from a goalkeeping perspective, the Athletic Club stopper is such an important factor for Luis de la Fuente. 4. Great Battle Between Yamal And Mendes … Until The Latter Exited This was clearly the battle of the day as the PSG full back and the Barcelona star clashed once again. Yamal has said that Nuno Mendes is the toughest opponent he has ever faced, and rightly so, as he is arguably the best left back in the world. Tonight in Dallas, the matchup was a balanced clash, and the Portuguese full back was keeping Yamal at bay until the 56th minute, when he had to come off after picking up an injury. In the end, it was Yamal who came out victorious as Spain won.
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