UEFA Nations League: Portugal and Spain, two of Europe's oldest rivals, meet in Arlington with Cristiano Ronaldo possibly playing his last World Cup match, while co-hosts USA welcome Belgium to Seattle for a shot at a quarter-final they haven't reached in over two decades. Add a red card twist, a fading golden generation, and two sides that both needed late drama just to get here, and this is about as good as a World Cup matchday gets.
Portugal and Spain share a border and a rivalry that goes back more than a century, but at World Cups it's only happened twice - Spain edged a tight Round of 16 tie in 2010, and the two put on a classic in 2018, sharing six goals in a 3-3 draw that's still talked about today. The most recent meeting was even more dramatic: Portugal beat Spain on penalties in last year's UEFA Nations League final, becoming the first team ever to win the competition twice. Spain will start as favourites this time, but this fixture has a habit of tearing up the script.
At 41, this is very likely Cristiano Ronaldo's fifth and final World Cup, and he's made sure people are still talking about him - three goals so far, including two in Portugal's 5-0 opening statement against Uzbekistan, and his first-ever World Cup knockout goal, a penalty that sent Portugal past Croatia in the last 32. Whatever happens on Tuesday, he's already become the first player in history to score at six different World Cups. Spain, for their part, aren't short of their own box-office name in Lamine Yamal, easing back to full fitness after his injury lay-off.
