Spain ended Portugal’s World Cup adventure and Cristiano Ronaldo’s career on football’s most gilded stage.Mikel Merino’s precise finish in the first minute of stoppage time sealed a 1-0 victory after a game of few chances looked certain to be heading to extra time. Spain will face the winners of today’s game between the U.S. and Belgium.Ronaldo, 41, said before this game that this would be his final World Cup and, if that is the case, it was a muted farewell for one of football’s greatest of all time. There were tears from Ronaldo as he left the field at the end of the game.Here, The Athletic‘s writers analyse the big talking points.How did Ronaldo’s World Cup end with a whimper?The show is over.Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2026 World Cup dream ended the way it started, with serious questions around whether this was a tournament too far for a man who looked what he is: a 41-year-old trying to push back the hands of time.He became the first player to score in six World Cups, but there’s little else that will be recalled fondly about his presence in these finals. Two goals against Uzbekistan, who lost all three group matches, and a penalty against Croatia was as good as it got for Ronaldo. He was peripheral against Spain and that feels like the story of his World Cup.Ronaldo had only 12 touches in the opening 45 minutes, which was nine fewer than the next lowest player on the pitch, the Spain centre forward Mikel Oyarzabal.Cristiano Ronaldo had a frustrating day (Aric Becker / AFP via Getty Images)Naturally, that leads to a lot being made of a little inside the stadium. For example, when Joao Felix nodded Pedro Neto’s inswinging cross back across goal, and Ronaldo flicked the ball goalbound, there were gasps from the crowd. In reality, it was an easy save for Unai Simon to make. Positioned beyond the near post and stretching every sinew, Ronaldo was unable to get enough purchase on the ball.An earlier attempt was hit with more conviction after a stepover created half a yard of space, but the angle was always against Ronaldo.At times, he was unable to conceal his frustration There was a run in behind early in the second half but Joao Neves, much to Ronaldo’s annoyance, turned down the pass. Shortly afterwards, Ronaldo moved towards the centre of the penalty area and Joao Cancelo stood up a cross toward the back post. Then, later in the game, Ronaldo questioned why Pedro Neto passed him the ball, rather than choosing to carry it upfield, during a counter-attack that fizzled out. Quite simply, it didn’t work.Stuart JamesHow did Spain break the deadlock?Let’s be honest, this was a cagey encounter, as two of the highest quality teams in the tournament largely cancelled each other out. Yamal struggled to weave his way into the penalty area with the ball at his feet, while the likes of Bruno Fernandes and Ronaldo struggled to find spaces to impact the game.