Cristiano Ronaldo in Tears After Spain Knock Portugal Out of 2026 FIFA World Cup | WATCH

Spain vs Portugal: It was heartbreak for Cristiano Ronaldo as his team was knocked out of the ongoing World Cup. Spain beat Portugal 1-0. Once the final whistle blew, tears rolled down the cheeks of Ronaldo as it was clear that his last chance at winning the coveted title had come to an end. For the fans, it was hard to see their icon in tears. Some players also walked up to Ronaldo to pacify him, but that did not help as he kept crying. Here is the clip of Ronaldo in tears. The clip is going viral. 

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For Spain, it was Mikel Merino's late goal that sealed the deal for them.

Merino had just been knocked down, and a foul was called. While Portugal’s Bernardo Silva argued, Merino played the ball back in, ran toward the goal and easily beat goalkeeper Diogo Costa after a series of passes capped by Ferran Torres’ nifty ball through the middle.

Spain, which has a 35-game unbeaten streak, advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time since winning its only World Cup title in 2010. La Roja will play either the United States or Belgium on Friday in Inglewood, California.

Ronaldo was trying to get Portugal to the quarterfinals in a second consecutive tournament for the first time. Instead, the career on soccer’s biggest stage is over for the all-time leader in international goals (146) and appearances (233).

Merino didn’t enter until the 85th minute, and his heads-up play showed some of the versatility that helped Arsenal win its first Premier League title in more than 20 years this spring.

The World Cup was in doubt for Merino, who turned 30 during the tournament, after right foot surgery cut short his Arsenal season.

In the biggest moment of the year for Spain, there he was with fresh legs, finishing with his left foot into the left corner of the net. After emerging from a group hug with his teammates, Merino made a circle around the flag in a corner before letting out a guttural scream while clenching both fists.