Rodri apologises after celebrating Bernardo Silva's miss in World Cup round of 16

Spain defeated Portugal 1‑0 in the FIFA World Cup 2026 round‑of‑16 match played at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on 6 July 2026. Substitute Mikel Merino scored the decisive goal in stoppage time (90+1’) to send Spain to a quarter‑final against Belgium.

In the dying minutes, Portugal’s Bernardo Silva missed a header from a cross. Rodri, a Spanish midfielder and former Manchester City teammate of Silva, celebrated the miss directly in front of him. Silva reacted angrily, leading to a brief on‑field confrontation that was quickly broken up by teammates.

Rodri later issued a public apology, saying he “excessively celebrated an action when he had failed a play” and that the incident would not affect their mutual respect. Silva, now a Real Madrid player, accepted the apology. The incident generated extensive social‑media coverage but had no measurable impact on cryptocurrency markets. A photo gallery of the match and a schedule for Spain’s next knockout game were also published.