The Athletic: Ronaldo was detached against Spain, mirroring his entire World Cup campaign

Spain ended Portugal's FIFA World Cup journey on football's biggest stage, also bringing Ronaldo's FIFA World Cup career to a close. The 41-year-old Ronaldo had stated before the match that this would be his last FIFA World Cup. If true, the legendary footballer's farewell was unremarkable. Ronaldo was in tears as he walked off the field after the match. The Athletic pointed out that Ronaldo was disengaged throughout the game, which summarized his performance in the entire FIFA World Cup, while Spain showed the ability to endure a tough battle and perform at critical moments.

Why did Ronaldo underperform?

This grand drama has ended. Ronaldo's dream of the 2026 FIFA World Cup ended, with the beginning and end being identical: It is widely questioned that at 41, he is no longer suitable for this tournament, and the marks left by time on him are clear.

He became the first player to score in six World Cups, but apart from that, he had little to commend in this World Cup. Scoring two goals against Uzbekistan, who lost all three matches, and converting a penalty against Croatia, are all his notable performances.

He was disengaged throughout the match against Spain, which summarized his performance in the entire FIFA World Cup.

In the first 45 minutes of the first half, Ronaldo had only 12 touches, 9 fewer than Oyarzabal, the Spanish center forward and the player with the second-fewest touches on the field.

Any slight movement on the field will be amplified and interpreted. For example, when Felix headed back Pedro Neto's inswinging cross, Ronaldo opportunistically headed the ball, and the entire stadium gasped. But in reality, the save was very easy, and Unai Simon easily defused it. Ronaldo stood outside the near post, stretching his body with all his might, but failed to give the ball enough power.

An earlier shot had more power; he did a step-over to create half a yard of space, but the shooting angle itself was very limited, making it difficult to score.

On the field, he often couldn't hide his impatience. At the start of the second half, he made a run forward, shaking off the defense, but Joao Neves did not pass the ball, which greatly annoyed Ronaldo. Not long after, Ronaldo ran to the middle of the penalty area, and João Cancelo sent a high ball to the far post. Later in the game, a counterattack was interrupted, and Ronaldo questioned Pedro Neto why he passed the ball to him instead of dribbling it forward himself.

In short, he and the team could not coordinate at all.



How did Spain break the deadlock?

Both teams played very conservatively in this match, with two of the strongest teams in this tournament neutralizing each other, making it difficult to create scoring opportunities. Yamal found it hard to penetrate the penalty area with the ball, and Bruno Fernandes and Ronaldo consistently struggled to find comfortable space to receive the ball.

The winning goal eventually came from the collaboration of two substitute players. Portugal's entire team was momentarily distracted and failed to react quickly to a quick free-kick, allowing the actively moving Ferran Torres to receive the ball at the edge of the penalty area. He controlled the ball, turned, and delivered a delicate through ball, which Merino, making a late run, charged into the box and finished. His shot was steady and decisive, hitting the near post as surely as a specialist number nine forward—Merino also occasionally plays as a forward for Arsenal.

Spain has kept a clean sheet throughout this tournament. Although Luis de la Fuente's team hasn't played at its peak, they have shown the ability to endure a tough battle and perform at critical moments.

Why is Spain's defense so solid?

Their defensive reliability was once again proven in this match.

Spain has kept clean sheets in all five matches, and this defensive strength is not achieved by deep retreating or stacking defensive players. The team mainly relies on possession to control the field, and Austria's zero shots on target in the round of 16 is the best proof. Goalkeeper Unai Simon set a new FIFA World Cup record for consecutive minutes without conceding a goal at 519 minutes, and including more than half a game from the 2022 FIFA World Cup, this streak now exceeds 600 minutes.

In the first half, Ronaldo had two shots on target, with the most threatening one saved by Simon. Even with the excellent goalkeepers Raya from Arsenal, the Premier League champions, and Joan García from Barcelona, the La Liga champions, Simon still holds the starting position.

Center-backs Cubarsi and Laporte maintained high concentration throughout, and full-backs Cucurella and Porro were well-positioned. Defensive midfielder Rodri provided tremendous support for the defense; his recent form has been excellent, and he is strong in challenges. The Manchester City midfielder can always anticipate danger and intercept Portuguese players threatening Spain's goal, including several precise tackles on Ronaldo, Felix, and Neves.

Spain's most dangerous moment came from Portugal's short corner kick creating a two-on-one situation, with Nuno Mendes' shot deflecting off Porro's head and hitting the crossbar.

Why can Spain maintain patience throughout?

This is Spain's signature playing style in major tournaments: seemingly firmly in control of the game, yet struggling to convert possession advantage into goals.

Rodri, Pedri, and Olmo often create fluid triangular passes in midfield, continuously pressuring Portugal, but lack a killer instinct in front of Diogo Costa's goal.

In the early part of the first half, Portuguese goalkeeper Costa made several saves from Yamal and Baena's shots, but overall, he wasn't tested much. Spain delivered three highly threatening six-yard box crosses, but no teammates were in position to finish. Oyarzabal's link-up play was still evident, but unlike the matches against Austria and Saudi Arabia, he wasn't in the right position to finish when needed in this game.

In the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Spain won several low-scoring matches through possession, with all four knockout games ending in 1-0 victories, ultimately winning their only FIFA World Cup title.

In the previous two World Cups, Spain's exits were frustrating, often struggling to break down compact defenses and eventually losing to Russia and Morocco in penalty shootouts.

As the minutes ticked by in this match, Spain dominated possession but couldn't score, causing inevitable anxiety among Spanish fans and players.

This time, Spain's patience paid off, as Fabian Ruiz, Rodri, Ferran, and Merino combined fluently, and Arsenal midfielder Merino calmly struck a low shot into the net, giving Spain the lead.

Does the US men's national team have a chance against Spain?

This will be the toughest challenge the US men's national team faces in this FIFA World Cup.

Spain has an average possession rate of 65.5% in five matches, with all players possessing excellent footwork and creativity. Yamal is arguably the most threatening winger in current football, while Olmo, Baena, and Pedri are skilled at handling the ball in tight spaces, using delicate touches and penetrating passes to deliver the ball into the box.

Even if the US team can limit Spain's attack, Pochettino's team still needs to break through a defense that has conceded no goals so far.

Cape Verde's tenacious performance in the opening match proved that Spain can be limited, but defeating Spain is extremely difficult.

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