FIFA World Cup 2026 :Canada/Mexico/United States: Discussion Thread

[snipie]

Portugal 0 - Spain 1. Only few minutes in the injury time left in this second half.
Mikel Merino scored the only goal so far assisted by Ferran Torres. The situation is so complicated in these last minutes for Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates. Many suggested that Portugal could reach the finals and get the Cup and I was against that because I feel many of them are simply wanting to see Ronaldo returning home with the greatest title before retirement. It is true Portugal has a lot of top players but they still have to work hard and improve themselves.

[red4slash]

Time is in the crucial time now and sometimes in these minutes the focus of the players has started to decrease and there could be a surprise that happened in this match.

This is what I feared and now Spain are 1 goal ahead of Ronaldo thanks to the ingenuity of a quick free-kick setpiece and the Portuguese players are not too ready for that.

Even though we are already at the end of the time but Portugal are actually pressured with this 1 goal even though they are starting to react but it will obviously be difficult to chase 1 goal in the remaining time at this time.
If this happens until the end and Portugal still can not equalize the score then this will be a sadness for me because apart from the ruined bet this could also be a farewell moment for Cristiano in the national team.

[MK-74]

Portugal vs. Spain match is over and Spain came away with a 1–0 victory.
Spain secured their place in the quarterfinals thanks to Mikel Merino's winning goal in the 90th minute.
Portugal, meanwhile, have been eliminated from the World Cup.

This was Cristiano Ronaldo's final World Cup, meaning we will not see him play in the tournament again.

USA vs. Belgium match will be played later tonight. In my opinion, the United States are the favorites to advance, especially considering what we've seen so far. I also think the referees will find a way to favor them in this match as well.

[Smartvirus]

Portugal 0 - Spain 1. Only few minutes in the injury time left in this second half.
Mikel Merino scored the only goal so far assisted by Ferran Torres. The situation is so complicated in these last minutes for Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates. Many suggested that Portugal could reach the finals and get the Cup and I was against that because I feel many of them are simply wanting to see Ronaldo returning home with the greatest title before retirement.

Persons like myself wanted this World Cup trophy for Ronaldo, his done a lot for football and should at least have this trophy but looking at how they played today, they didn’t deserve to advance in this World Cup. The better team was Spain and they won the day. The goal came at the end of regular time and that leaves them little to no chance to react. They were playing more of a defensive game today and such tactics has consequences, giving Spain more room than they should and only came out to attack after the damage had being done by the substitute, Merino. Ronaldo’s World Cup dreams ends here.

[Cryptoprincess101]

Portugal 0 - Spain 1. Only few minutes in the injury time left in this second half.
Mikel Merino scored the only goal so far assisted by Ferran Torres. The situation is so complicated in these last minutes for Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates. Many suggested that Portugal could reach the finals and get the Cup and I was against that because I feel many of them are simply wanting to see Ronaldo returning home with the greatest title before retirement. It is true Portugal has a lot of top players but they still have to work hard and improve themselves.

Unfortunately, this is the end of Ronaldo and Portugal journey in the 2026 FIFA world cup as all what Spain needed to reach the quarter final was Mikel Merino's 90 minutes goal. Sometimes, bringing in that substitute can really make a difference in a game because Merino came in the 85th minutes just to score 5 minutes later. It's a sad one for Ronaldo because it is clear that he is ending his career without a world cup glory. Portugal never played like they want to advance to the next stages; Spain needed the win because they are also hoping that their young talent player namely; Lamine Yamal should get a world cup trophy to his name, and this win is just another step closer to reaching the final. Spain will now await the winner between Belgium and USA for them to know their next opponent in the quarter finals.

[Shishir99]

What a terrible moment for a Ronaldo fan!
One last chance, and we missed this. Yesterday, Neymar, and today it's Ronaldo. If you are a Brazil fan and a Real Madrid fan, you probably like Ronaldo as well. I can imagine how you are feeling after seeing your two favorite players get kicked out of this World Cup. A Brazilian supported in Bangladesh died yesterday. They committed suicide just because Brazil lost the match. We do not want to see anything similar in the future. We all love sports and our favorite team. But people should not die just for their team.

[Furious 7]

See how the tempo of the game is fast from the beginning until now it seems like Portugal and Spain do not want to slow down their tempo before they can get a goal and this will be very draining and focused because the slightest mistake when the game with this fast tempo will end with the worst possible.

Spain had more momentum but Portugal's attack was not so bad but actually in this match I only focused on Lamine and Nuno Mendes who always clashed in the first half but because of the fast tempo it seemed that Nuno had problems with his feet and my pleasure was a little lost.
60 minutes into the game but they still haven't dropped the tempo of the game and this is what I always expect for a big match.

So far both teams are playing quite interesting and thrilling, but Spain is certainly superior in some aspects. Lamine Yamal was good form, so was Mendes, but Nuno Mendes had to be replaced in the end due to injury. The score remained 0-0 until 70 minutes in, so both teams needed to find a way to score in the remaining regular minutes. If Spain are really able to maximize their chances, then I'm sure they will win this game.

The loss of Mendes increased the intensity of Spain's attack and this left Portugal threatened until the end.
1 Merino's goal in extra time made Portugal have to be eliminated in this phase even though I hope they can hold out until extra time but it seems like when the pressure keeps coming Portugal have to lose focus and lose this match.

1 goal in extra time was a little painful but indeed we have to admit that Spain was far superior in this match because I only saw Joao Felix and Costa alone who played well enough for Portugal the rest I did not see anyone stand out for 90 minutes.

After seeing Neymar leave yesterday then today we must also see Cristiano leave from the 2026 World cup.

[Merit.s]

Portugal 0 - Spain 1. Only few minutes in the injury time left in this second half.
Mikel Merino scored the only goal so far assisted by Ferran Torres. The situation is so complicated in these last minutes for Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates. Many suggested that Portugal could reach the finals and get the Cup and I was against that because I feel many of them are simply wanting to see Ronaldo returning home with the greatest title before retirement.

Persons like myself wanted this World Cup trophy for Ronaldo, his done a lot for football and should at least have this trophy but looking at how they played today, they didn’t deserve to advance in this World Cup. The better team was Spain and they won the day. The goal came at the end of regular time and that leaves them little to no chance to react. They were playing more of a defensive game today and such tactics has consequences, giving Spain more room than they should and only came out to attack after the damage had being done by the substitute, Merino. Ronaldo’s World Cup dreams ends here.

Sometimes, things don't go down the way we want it and this is just one of them. Some seer or spiritual people that said it's Ronaldo turn to win the world cup that Portugal will be in the finals will shut their mouth with shame because it's clear that they are fake.

Of course, Spain won the game because they deserved it. They play better than Portugal and looks desperate to advance to the next round. Congratulations to Spain.

[Hyphen(-)]

Portugal 0 - Spain 1. Only few minutes in the injury time left in this second half.
Mikel Merino scored the only goal so far assisted by Ferran Torres. The situation is so complicated in these last minutes for Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates. Many suggested that Portugal could reach the finals and get the Cup and I was against that because I feel many of them are simply wanting to see Ronaldo returning home with the greatest title before retirement. It is true Portugal has a lot of top players but they still have to work hard and improve themselves.

It is already over for Portugal, they really put in a great effort in this match, they really wanted to make it work as team not just for Ronaldo to achieve his biggest dream of winning the World Cup, but Spain were better and were lucky to score one lone goal in the match.

Congratulations to the Spanish team, they did really well tonight and the Coach also did  his best to make sure the team is complete and the super sub he introduced in the match help them to secure the victory. I am happy for the Spanish national team they are very good and are among the favorites to win this tournament.

[Spaceman1000$]

Portugal 0 - Spain 1. Only few minutes in the injury time left in this second half.
Mikel Merino scored the only goal so far assisted by Ferran Torres. The situation is so complicated in these last minutes for Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates. Many suggested that Portugal could reach the finals and get the Cup and I was against that because I feel many of them are simply wanting to see Ronaldo returning home with the greatest title before retirement.

Persons like myself wanted this World Cup trophy for Ronaldo, his done a lot for football and should at least have this trophy but looking at how they played today, they didn’t deserve to advance in this World Cup. The better team was Spain and they won the day. The goal came at the end of regular time and that leaves them little to no chance to react. They were playing more of a defensive game today and such tactics has consequences, giving Spain more room than they should and only came out to attack after the damage had being done by the substitute, Merino. Ronaldo’s World Cup dreams ends here.

Looking at how the both team played, sincerely speaking i will pick Portugal to be the side that had a better possession and more opportunity to score because they were more offensive upfront than Spain, they had good control of literally all the wings, The goal Spain scored was a defensive error and the unfortunate thing about this is the fact that there was no time for Portugal team to actually reply that goal as it was already 90+, it is one mistake that has caused them the entire tournament. I for one wanted Ronaldo to win the World because I'm also a super fan, but that dream has been cut short.

[skarais]

~~~

Unfortunately, this is the end of Ronaldo and Portugal journey in the 2026 FIFA world cup as all what Spain needed to reach the quarter final was Mikel Merino's 90 minutes goal. Sometimes, bringing in that substitute can really make a difference in a game because Merino came in the 85th minutes just to score 5 minutes later. It's a sad one for Ronaldo because it is clear that he is ending his career without a world cup glory. Portugal never played like they want to advance to the next stages; Spain needed the win because they are also hoping that their young talent player namely; Lamine Yamal should get a world cup trophy to his name, and this win is just another step closer to reaching the final. Spain will now await the winner between Belgium and USA for them to know their next opponent in the quarter finals.

I was never really sure Portugal could reach the final although today they could beat Spain. Unfortunately, Spain looked very strong and enthusiastic to win the match compared to Portugal. Spain forced Portugal to play defensively in the second half, even I didn't really find Portugal threatening the Spanish goalkeeper. Spain's victory makes perfect sense, of course, because they play like a team that has a better plan at the 2026 World Cup.

Portugal basically also had some chances, but they couldn't make the most of them. I also didn't get Ronaldo very excited about today's game, probably because of his coach's approach to the game. I dunno, but in reality, Portugal should lift the suitcase from the 2026 World Cup today.

[GIF-JOBS]

Like Neymar yesterday, today we lost another legend away from the World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo I will miss you, I used to watch Portugal games only because of Ronaldo, but from now on Ronaldo may never be seen on the field in a Portugal jersey again. This was his last match for Portugal in the World Cup, I feel very bad for him, I really hoped that the match would somehow return to equal score again even at the last minute, and that the game would reach extra time, but that did not happen. Spain won the match 1-0 and reached the quarter-finals, but through this we lost the legend Cristiano Ronaldo.

[eightdots]

Portugal 0 - Spain 1. Only few minutes in the injury time left in this second half.
Mikel Merino scored the only goal so far assisted by Ferran Torres. The situation is so complicated in these last minutes for Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates. Many suggested that Portugal could reach the finals and get the Cup and I was against that because I feel many of them are simply wanting to see Ronaldo returning home with the greatest title before retirement. It is true Portugal has a lot of top players but they still have to work hard and improve themselves.

It is already over for Portugal, they really put in a great effort in this match, they really wanted to make it work as team not just for Ronaldo to achieve his biggest dream of winning the World Cup, but Spain were better and were lucky to score one lone goal in the match.

Congratulations to the Spanish team, they did really well tonight and the Coach also did  his best to make sure the team is complete and the super sub he introduced in the match help them to secure the victory. I am happy for the Spanish national team they are very good and are among the favorites to win this tournament.

Both teams had a chance to win the match, and they didn't take many risks throughout. Perhaps the match could have been different if they had taken more risks, as some attacking players started the game on the bench. Both Portugal and Spain have squads full of quality players, and good tactics could have affected many things in the match.

Spain managed to advance to the next round, and Portugal was eliminated. Spain isn't playing its usual good game, which is causing them to struggle to score goals. They may have problems in their next matches.

[CLS63]

Portugal vs. Spain match is over and Spain came away with a 1–0 victory.
Spain secured their place in the quarterfinals thanks to Mikel Merino's winning goal in the 90th minute.
Portugal, meanwhile, have been eliminated from the World Cup.

This was Cristiano Ronaldo's final World Cup, meaning we will not see him play in the tournament again.

I believe that Spain deserved the win from the first half already. They were more dominant but Diogo Costa had a really solid match today as well.

Ronaldo found a couple of really nice goal opportunities but couldn't get past the goalkeeper. He must be devastated to be eliminated this early in probably his last World Cup.

I thought it would go to extra time. I was expecting Portugal to win before the match started. But they didn't play as I expected.

[Rabata]

Portugal 0 - Spain 1. Only few minutes in the injury time left in this second half.
Mikel Merino scored the only goal so far assisted by Ferran Torres. The situation is so complicated in these last minutes for Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates. Many suggested that Portugal could reach the finals and get the Cup and I was against that because I feel many of them are simply wanting to see Ronaldo returning home with the greatest title before retirement. It is true Portugal has a lot of top players but they still have to work hard and improve themselves.

Portugal's players will have to work harder. It is difficult to accept that this year's World Cup has seen several stars leave. 2026 World Cup has become as exciting as it is painful. It is changing an era. At the same time, the departure of so many world-class players is really painful for the fans. Ronaldo is certainly a world-class star player. His World Cup journey and imperfections will make everyone cry. Today's match ended in a very dramatic way. Portugal came this far just by using their previous name. But in the current World Cup, using only the name does not get any results. Although Portugal's defense is good, they miss several opportunities due to many shortcomings in finishing. Spain's finishing performance is not very good, they took advantage of an opportunity at the last minute.

[Ummeettaa]

Spain win a late minutes goal against the Portuguese side, it was a very though match but as expected I was so certain that Portugal will not qualify through the Spanish giants.

Although I expected more goals to flow in the match but unfortunately, every side was being careful with their play. No side wanted to play recklessly that might jupidice their chance of winning.

It was a great fight from the Portuguese side because it's seems luck was not on their side today even though Spain had a better team than them they fought till the very end.

Congratulations to the Spanish side, Lamin Yamal, Pau cubasi, Pedri, Gavi, Ferran Torres, Rodri (the MOTM) and the rest of the Spanish team in their qualifications to the quarter finals.

[Nwadiche]

Portugal vs. Spain match is over and Spain came away with a 1–0 victory.
Spain secured their place in the quarterfinals thanks to Mikel Merino's winning goal in the 90th minute.
Portugal, meanwhile, have been eliminated from the World Cup.

This was Cristiano Ronaldo's final World Cup, meaning we will not see him play in the tournament again.

USA vs. Belgium match will be played later tonight. In my opinion, the United States are the favorites to advance, especially considering what we've seen so far. I also think the referees will find a way to favor them in this match as well.

Yeah the match was a very tough one and i was thinking they will go for extra time, but i didn't know the match within 90+ how could Portugal allowed Spain to score them in added time they've defend and play extra time first even go for penalty shootout. Some favourite countries are being knocked out don't be surprised that Spain will be knocked out in their next match too, my worried is Ronaldo didn't win world cup because he'll retire from football very soon.

I knew very well that many people are predicting France or Argentina to win this very world, but I'm not sure if this two countries will be lucky to win it, a country will never expected will be the winner of world cup but let's see how it's goes.

[Smartvirus]

Sometimes, things don't go down the way we want it and this is just one of them. Some seer or spiritual people that said it's Ronaldo turn to win the world cup that Portugal will be in the finals will shut their mouth with shame because it's clear that they are fake.

That’s normal in life, you can’t always have what you want and that’s absolutely fine. Ronaldo can finally fade into history while the beautiful game of football continues.
Anyone who still believes Seers have got a path to play in football must be truly dumb. Even these things respect the natural other of things except for FIFA script though, lol. This wasn’t one of them certainly.

Looking at how the both team played, sincerely speaking i will pick Portugal to be the side that had a better possession and more opportunity to score because they were more offensive upfront than Spain, they had good control of literally all the wings, The goal Spain scored was a defensive error and the unfortunate thing about this is the fact that there was no time for Portugal team to actually reply that goal as it was already 90+, it is one mistake that has caused them the entire tournament. I for one wanted Ronaldo to win the World because I'm also a super fan, but that dream has been cut short.

You got me running back to check the stats on this game and even then, you would find that Spain dominated in possession? Shots on target, shots off-target, goalkeeper saves, corners and just about any stats of value. Spain played more better than Portugal. Portugal played as though they wanted to see this game to penalties and only decided to attack more after conceding in the second half, they didn’t deserve nothing here. I would have wanted this for Ronaldo but the better team won today.

[programmer3666]

I guess now we can rest in this footballing world, now that Portugal has gotten themselves eliminated out of the World Cup. The younger players will now know going forward, if those people talking about them on different media outlets are doing it on an organic basis, or they are just doing it to get attention by targeting and criticizing their talisman. The likes of Bruno will now know what it feels like to carry the hope of an entire nation on their shoulders. They have succeeded in ruining their chances. I hope for their sake, they start playing like a team, else it will be an utter disaster for them as players in future competitions.

[Mahiyammahi]

Spain win a late minutes goal against the Portuguese side, it was a very though match but as expected I was so certain that Portugal will not qualify through the Spanish giants.

Both were equally matched on the field. I thought this matxh could be one sided from spain.  But Portugal showed an excellent resilient throughout the 90 min. Idk why they suddenly loosen the defence. Mikel Merino the substitute player for spain walks in 85" a fresh leg , still Portugal didn't tighten their defence. Fresh leg will press it's common practice. I would say this single mistake cost them their match.

End of the Legend CR-7 Era. This is his last world cup, we won't see him again. This guy was a goal machine.  A trophy on his hand would have been perfect.