Portugal vs Spain round of 16, Ronaldo fires back

It's Portugal vs Spain tonight

This is the one. Portugal face Spain in the World Cup round of 16 at AT&T Stadium in Dallas (1) (3) (8). The winner goes to the quarter-finals, the loser goes home. It does not get bigger than this in the knockout stage.

Spain arrive unbeaten in 34 matches, a run that stretches back years, but there is a scar in that streak: Portugal beat them on penalties in the Nations League final. No other team has stamped that record (7).

Cristiano Ronaldo leads Portugal into a derby that defines campaigns.

Ronaldo confronts a journalist before the match

Cristiano Ronaldo was not in the mood to be second-guessed. At the pre-match press conference on the eve of the Spain game, he turned on a journalist and said "Ik weet dat jij mij niet mag", Dutch for "I know you don't like me" (6). No translation needed. The tension is real. At 40, he is still the emotional centre of this team.

Danilo picks Pedri as Spain's danger man

Danilo Pereira was asked who he would take from the Spanish side. His answer was immediate: Pedri (4). The Barcelona midfielder makes Spain tick, and Danilo's choice tells you where Portugal's focus is. Shut down Pedri, you shut down a lot of what Spain want to do.

Spain's streak, and the one team that cracked it

34 games without defeat. That is what Spain carry into this match, chasing an all-time record (7). Only Portugal have beaten them in that window, on penalties in the Nations League final. It is the kind of detail that gets brought up in team meetings. Your team knows they can do it because they already have.