Bruno Fernandes: Portugal Paid Price for Sitting Too Deep

Portugal midfielder Bruno Fernandes admitted his side were not at their best as they bowed out of the FIFA World Cup 2026 following a 1-0 defeat to Spain in the Round of 16.

Speaking after the match, Fernandes expressed disappointment at the team’s performance and acknowledged the tactical errors that led to their elimination.

‘Obviously we are sad. We came here with one goal: to win the whole thing. Unfortunately we were not at our best level,’ he said.

Fernandes noted that Portugal had shown promise in the first half but faltered after the break.

‘I think we played better in the first half today, but in the second half we made the same mistake of defending too low on the pitch, giving the ball to them. When this happens, sooner or later you are going to concede a goal,’ he explained.

Spain’s Mikel Merino struck in stoppage time to seal the victory, sending Luis De La Fuente’s side into the quarter-finals.

Fernandes was gracious in defeat, offering praise to the opponents.

‘Congratulations to Spain, they have quality, but I think that if we continued doing what we did in the first half, we could have had a better result.’

Portugal’s exit marks the end of Cristiano Ronaldo’s World Cup career, while Fernandes and his teammates now turn their focus to rebuilding ahead of the UEFA Euro 2028 qualifiers.