Rise of a Football God
Chapter 529 - 529: Round of 32; Portugal vs Mexico

Croatia vs Paraguay was supposed to be the final clash of the Round of 32 of the FIFA World Cup, but Portugal and Mexico were yet to play their game.

Due to weather reasons, the initial date for the Portugal vs Mexico game was postponed, and now, it was about to be played at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

The game was played hours after Croatia and Paraguay played.

[FIFA World Cup 2026 – Round of 32]

[Match 16: Croatia vs Paraguay]

[Venue: SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles, USA]

[Date: July 7th, 2026]

[Kick-off: 21:00 local time]

[Referee: Michael Oliver (England)]

It was a classic European vs South American clash.

Portugal, one of the favorites to go all the way to win the tournament vs Mexico, a quietly brilliant side with a more than good record in the FIFA World Cup.

These 2 nations prepared to clash in a blockbuster game in Los Angeles.

The weather in the stadium was cool and breezy, perfect for peak football.

The stadium was filled to the brim, more than half of the fans in the stadium being Portugal supporters, specifically Cristiano Ronaldo supporters as they came out for the Portuguese G.O.A.T in numbers.

It was just like Messi fans did for their G.O.A.T in the Argentinian game.

Cristiano Ronaldo started on the bench though.

Portugal started in their classic 4-3-3 formation with Diogo Costa in goal, while ahead of him was the defensive quadruple of Joao Cancelo, Ruben Dias, Antonio Silva, and Nuno Mendes.

In midfield was Joao Palhinha, Vitinha, and Bruno Fernandes, while further ahead in attack was Bernardo Silva on the right, Goncalo Ramos through the middle, and Rafael Leao on the left.

At this knockout stage, Roberto Martinez went for an overhaul of his team, trusting more on experience than youth.

As for the Mexican starting XI, they played in a 4-2-3- formation with the legend, Guillermo Ochoa in goal.

Ahead of the goalkeeper was the defensive quadruple of Jorge Sanchez, Cesar Montes, Johan Vasquez, and Gallardo, while the duo in midfield comprised Edson Alvarez and Luis Chavez.

The creators in chief for the Mexicans were Uriel Antuna, Carlos Rodriguez, and Hirving Lozano down the left, while Santiago Gimenez led the line for Mexico as the striker.

FWEEE!

The game started and all hell broke loose.

Mexico came into this game with the will and desire to fight an uphill and tight battle against one of the tournament favorites.

They knew they were not as good as the Portuguese, and so they were ready and determined to dig in, get themselves dirty, and do anything by the book to get the result.

Portugal? They came into the match with control and composure.

And for the first few dozen minutes, it showed as they did just that, dominating possession and controlling the game.

With their dynamic midfield trio buzzing behind the attack, they kept hold of the ball for long swathes of the game, forcing Mexico to chase.

Bruno Fernandes and PSG's Vitinha set the tempo with intelligent distribution, while Rafael Leao tormented Sanchez down the left flank.

And then… BAM!

In the 18th minute of the game, Portugal opened it up.

Leao repaid the faith of his coach with a vintage moment of magic, dancing past two defenders before squaring it across the six-yard box for Goncalo Ramos, who tapped in with a simple finish.

BOOM!

The Portuguese fans in the stadium erupted.

Mexico were behind now, but they didn't fold. Rather, they dug in and fought.

Their best moment of the first half came in the 35th minute when Chavez unleashed a long-range rocket, but Diogo Costa parried it brilliantly.

The first half came to an end 1-0 with Portugal leading.

During halftime, Jaime Lozano, the Mexican coach seemed to have spit frightening bars to motivate his players because they came out of the tunnel with fire.

They returned with burning rage and energy, and immediately, Lozano's mazy runs began to trouble the Portuguese backline.

In the 59th minute, Mexico were finally rewarded for their efforts.

After a turnover in midfield, Edson Alvarez picked out Lozano, who broke the high line and slotted it past Diogo Costa with a cool finish.

1-1. Game on.

That goal set Portugal's ass on fire.

The match began to open up, end to end.

Portugal ran riot, pushing Mexico all the way and confining them to their half.

Joao Cancelo had a goal disallowed for offside in the 66th minute, and Ramos struck the post from close range just 2 minutes later.

By then, fans in the stadium were already clamoring.

"Ronaldo!" "Ronaldo!" "Ronaldo!"

And finally, in the 72nd minute of the game, the Portugal coach finally made the much awaited change, bringing on Cristiano Ronaldo for Ramos.

It was as if fate dictated it.

It felt like a script written in heaven.

Because just 10 minutes after entering the pitch, Cristiano Ronaldo wrote the script for his moment of brilliance.

Cristiano Ronaldo, on his final World Cup run, curled a stunning free-kick over the wall and into the top corner from 25 yards, in the 82nd minute!

Vintage Ronaldo!

Ronaldo celebrated, the full stadium celebrated…

"SUIIIIII…!"

2-1 to Portugal.

During the final minutes of the game, Mexico pushed hard for the equalizer, desperate for a goal, but Portugal's defense held firm like a wall.

Mexico tried, but they couldn't penetrate.

Portugal held.

FWEEE!

The referee's final whistle blew, bringing the game to an end.

[FULL-TIME: Portugal 2-1 Mexico]

The man of the match award recipient?

Cristiano Ronaldo won it. He came off the bench in the 72nd minute, changed the tempo, and delivered a game-winning masterpiece.

CR7 fans would tango all night.

And just like that, Portugal was on their way to the Round of 16.

The post-match reactions were crazy.

Roberto Martinez, the Portugal coach was all smiles at the end of the game.

"We brought Ronaldo on because we believed he could still make the difference. Tonight, he reminded the world who he is. He is timeless".

Cristiano Ronaldo also faced the media.

"It's not about proving people wrong. It's about believing in myself and fighting for this shirt. We go again in the Round of 16".

Jaime Lozano, the Mexican coach kept his smile as he also faced the media at the end of the game.

"My boys gave everything. We fell to a legend's moment of brilliance. No shame in that. We'll be back stronger".