Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Spain defeated Portugal 1-0 on Monday to end Cristiano Ronaldo’s World Cup dream and reach the quarter-finals as the United States aimed to shrug off controversy surrounding reprieved striker Folarin Balogun in a last-16 showdown with Belgium. Spanish substitute Mikel Merino coolly slotted the winner in the first minute of stoppage time to seal victory in a dour contest between the Iberian football rivals at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The Spanish victory sends the 2010 champions into a quarter-final on Friday against either the United States or Belgium, who meet in Seattle later on Monday.
The defeat marked a sad farewell to the World Cup for Portugal captain Ronaldo, the 41-year-old superstar playing in his sixth edition of the tournament. Former Manchester United and Real Madrid star Ronaldo, who has struggled to reproduce his best form during a challenging campaign in the United States, had long dreamed of adding a World Cup winners medal to his collection of honours amassed over a career that has straddled three decades. But the striker was rarely more than a peripheral figure in a performance that saw Portugal muster just two shots on target, compared to Spain’s six. Ronaldo said afterwards he would take time to consider his future following the defeat.
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“It was my last World Cup, yes, but I’ll have time to think about the rest, to be with my family, not make rash decisions, and just get on with life,” Ronaldo said. “That’s football, that’s the life of a footballer. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and you have to move on.” European champions Spain struggled to break down the Portuguese, but finally took the lead in stoppage time, Merino latching on to a through ball from a quick free kick and prodding a low finish past Diogo Costa.
Later Monday, the United States take on Belgium in Seattle in a game dripping with intrigue following FIFA’s dramatic reprieve of US striker Balogun on Sunday. Balogun, sent off in the USA’s round-of-32 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina, is free to play after FIFA suspended his one-match ban for a year on Sunday following an intervention from US President Donald Trump. The Royal Belgian Football Association said early Monday in a statement it had “no alternative but to challenge Balogun’s eligibility for the upcoming match.” FIFA later on Monday dismissed Belgium’s appeal as “inadmissible”.
Trump on Monday confirmed he had spoken to FIFA chief Gianni Infantino personally to raise the issue of Balogun’s suspension “because I didn’t think it was a foul.” “All I did was ask for a review, I didn’t say you have to do this,” Trump said. FIFA President Gianni Infantino insisted the global governing body’s disciplinary process was independent and had not been influenced by Trump’s phone call. Infantino said he had explained to Trump that “there was an ongoing legal process involving FIFA’s independent judicial bodies and that the case would be decided in due course by the competent bodies”.
The football chief said he always read the decisions handed down by the committee and “sometimes I am surprised by them. Sometimes I agree with them, and sometimes I disagree.” He added: “What I always do, however, is respect those decisions and the autonomy of the bodies that make them.” The US team has welcomed the decision, which coach Mauricio Pochettino called “fair”. He named Balogun in the starting lineup against the Belgians. But the reprieve sparked outrage from Belgium and other teams.
European football’s governing body UEFA slammed the ruling, declaring FIFA had “crossed a red line”. “We express our disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision,” added UEFA in a strongly-worded statement. The European Union also took issue with Trump’s intervention. “Influencing sporting decisions would undermine the autonomy of sport,” said EU sports commissioner Glenn Micallef. “Our focus should instead be on the real governance challenges facing sport, including the weaponisation of sport for political purposes.” The Belgian government called the decision “incomprehensible.”
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