FIFA World Cup: All to know as Ronaldo’s Portugal play Spain in the last 16

The eyes of the football world will be on Dallas on Monday evening as one of the marquee match-ups of this or any World Cup pits European powerhouses Spain and Portugal together.

The Iberian neighbours have been going at it for more than a century, meeting 43 times, including several in major tournaments, but this might just be the biggest of the lot, with a place in the quarterfinals at stake.

Forget hydration breaks, VAR and the Golden Boot race, perhaps the biggest talking point of the World Cup so far is Cristiano Ronaldo’s involvement in the Portugal side.

The 41-year-old came under the spotlight in the opening Group K match against DR Congo, playing every minute of a 1-1 draw, but spurning good opportunities to win the game.

He answered the critics with a more accomplished display against Uzbekistan, scoring twice before the break to become the first man to register goals at six World Cups, but he might have added more in a 5-0 win in which he played the full game.

After declaring ‘I’m back’ on social media after the game, Ronaldo was on the periphery as he played the full 90 minutes of the goalless draw against Colombia, which saw Portugal finish as runners-up in the group.

There were flashes of the old CR7 in the chaotic win over Croatia which booked their last 16 place, seeing a fine dinked finish after some nice control disallowed for a marginal offside, then equalised from the penalty spot midway through the second half , however he was hauled off by Roberto Martinez on 81 minutes with the game in the balance.

His initial reaction was frustration and reluctance, shaking his head and muttering words, but off he came. Goncalo Ramos replaced him as the focal point of the attack, then headed the stoppage-time winner.

So should Martinez keep faith with Ramos for the Spain game, leaving Ronaldo in reserve as a potential impact substitute?

It’s worth bearing in mind that Ronaldo was dropped for the last 16 clash against Switzerland in the last World Cup in Qatar by then-boss Fernando Santos.

Ronaldo was unhappy at being substituted in the final group game shortly after the hour with the game locked at 1-1, which South Korea went on to win with a last-gasp goal.

Ramos scored a hat-trick in the 6-1 win over the Swiss, before being replaced by Ronaldo for the final 17 minutes when the score was already 5-1.

The odds are heavily stacked that Ronaldo starts, and although he is a man for the big occasion, this Spain backline is formidable as it aims to keep an unprecedented sixth straight World Cup clean sheet.

Expect Ronaldo to start through the middle, but Martinez has shown he is willing to sacrifice him in the pursuit of victory, so don’t bank on him finishing the game.

There has been little to separate Portugal and Spain in their five previous meetings at major tournaments, with each side winning once and the remaining three ending in draws.

That includes their most recent World Cup meeting, a 3-3 draw in 2018 in which Ronaldo scored a sublime hat-trick, and their last knockout clash, a goalless draw in the semifinals of UEFA Euro 2012 before Spain progressed on penalties.

Portugal, however, have won just one of their last 12 competitive meetings with Spain (D6 L5), that 1-0 victory coming more than 20 years ago in the group stages of the 2004 Euros, courtesy of Nuno Gomes.

But they will take confidence from having defeated Spain, albeit in a shootout, in their most recent meeting in the Nations League final in June 2025.

Ahead of kick-off, Luis de la Fuente’s side are predicted as heavy favourites – and for good reason.

La Roja are unbeaten in their last 34 matches (W25 D9), one shy of equalling their longest-ever unbeaten run of 35 set between February 2007 and June 2009. Only Italy, with 37 between 2018 and 2021, have enjoyed a longer unbeaten run among European nations.

Much of that success has come under De la Fuente, who is unbeaten in his first 11 matches at either the World Cup or Euros (W10 D1), conceding just four goals.

Should Spain overcome Portugal, the Spaniard would join Aime Jacquet and Louis van Gaal as the only managers to avoid defeat in each of their first 12 major international tournament matches.

Spain’s dominance has also extended well beyond their results. They have posted an average expected goals (xG) difference of +1.80 per game at this World Cup (2.0 for, 0.2 against) – the best by any European nation to progress beyond the group stage since France averaged +1.82 in 1998.

The Opta supercomputer struggled to look past Spain progressing to the quarterfinals, with De la Fuente’s side winning inside 90 minutes in 49.2% of the 25,000 pre-match simulations.

Portugal, however, will be full of confidence after narrowly defeating Croatia and will want to make every chance count, with their odds currently placed at 25.6 percent, while a draw (which would mean extra -time and maybe penalties) accounts for the remaining 25.2 percent.

Lamine Yamal is perhaps the one global icon who has not risen to the occasion on the biggest stage of all… yet.

The 18-year-old – who will turn 19 on July 13 , the day before Spain could line -up in a semifinal against France or Morocco back in Dallas – suffered a season-ending hamstring injury playing for Barcelona in April, which cast doubt on his involvement in the World Cup full -stop.

He played just 141 minutes across the group stage games against Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay, scoring in the second match, though De la Fuente said he was in ‘perfect’ condition ahead of the knockout phase.

He started on the left of the attack in the Round of 32 win over Austria and looked far more like his ‘old’ self, being a focal point of La Roja’s threat in the first half and generating a buzz of anticipation in the stands every time he picked up the ball.

Pedro Porro replaced Marcos Llorente at right back for that game in Los Angeles, as his understanding with Yamal grows, though De la Fuente may opt to return to Llorente for the Portugal match as his defensive credentials might be preferred to Porro’s offensive threat.

Well, it’s arguably the tie of the round in the last 16, between two powerhouses of both European and world football.

Portugal’s failure to win their group will have caused some consternation among organisers as it arguably made their knockout run harder and ended the possibility of a Messi vs Ronaldo clash in the quarterfinal, should Portugal have managed to get past Ghana and Switzerland.

With Germany and the Netherlands having been eliminated in the Round of 32, the last thing the organisers will have wanted is to lose another elite nation and potential winner in the last 16, but that is now guaranteed with this match-up.

The United States or Belgium will await in the last eight for the winner of Monday’s tie, with the prospect of France or Morocco to follow in the semifinals and the only chance of a showdown between global icons in Ronaldo and Messi now in the final on July 19 .

Spain’s win over Austria was their most complete display of the tournament so far, and in major tournaments it’s not about how you start, it is how you finish.

Rodri and Pedri have started every game in the middle of the park and are the heartbeat of the side, even if they did not hit the heights with their club form this season.

De la Fuente has shuffled his pack with Dani Olmo, Mikel Merino and Fabian Ruiz all given a chance in a role slightly advanced of the duo. It’s Olmo who looks to have made the shirt his own, while Alex Baena has usurped Gavi and Ferran Torres as the go-to option on the right of the attack, with Nico Williams injured and with Mikel Oyarzabal and Lamine Yamal locked -in through the middle and on the left respectively.

This should be a fascinating match-up as potentially the world’s top two centre midfields face off. Joao Neves and Vitinha are fresh off winning their second consecutive Champions League with Paris Saint Germain (PSG), while Bruno Fernandes had a record-breaking season with Manchester United in the Premier League.

Ruben Neves was given a run-out in the final group game, when qualification was already assured, but expect Martinez to go with his tried and trusted trio.

Spain have dominated possession in all four of their games, while Portugal have done the same in three of their four, the exception being the final group game against Colombia.

Speaking after the win over Croatia, Martinez said: “We know Spain very well and they know us very well too. I think it’s going to be a fantastic match. Two teams that want the ball, that want to attack, recover possession quickly and create chances. I think it will be a great game”.

Whoever wins the midfield battle will likely be the team to progress to the quarterfinal in Los Angeles on Friday.