Spain face France as Portugal's World Cup exit still stings

Spain, your eliminator, play for a final spot

Spain face France today in the first World Cup semifinal. The same Spain who knocked your team out in the round of 16 with that late Mikel Merino goal, 0–1 in Dallas (3). A reminder of how close it was, and how far. Cristiano Ronaldo called it his last World Cup after that match, and Roberto Martinez walked away too (3). Now the team that ended your tournament is two wins from the trophy (1).

That viral Ronaldo photo is not real

A photo showing Cristiano Ronaldo crying next to Georgina Rodríguez after the Spain defeat went viral, wait, no. That character is forbidden. Let me rephrase.

A photo showing Cristiano Ronaldo crying next to Georgina Rodríguez after the Spain defeat went viral, but it is fake (2). The image was fabricated. Ronaldo did tear up on the pitch after the final whistle, the cameras caught that, but this particular picture never happened (2).

Benfica name their price for Schjelderup

Liverpool want Andreas Schjelderup, and Benfica have set the price at €50 million (4). The Norwegian winger, who scored at the World Cup, could be on his way out this summer. Marco Silva's Fulham are also watching (4). No bid yet, but the number is on the table.

Flamengo take down Benfica in the Algarve

Flamengo beat Benfica 2–1 in a friendly at the Estádio Algarve (5). Gerson and Bruno Henrique scored for the Brazilian side before Danilo pulled one back. Jorginho liked what he saw: "Of course it counts, because it's a positive experience for us to work on aspects of the game you maybe don't find as much in South America" (5). Wallace Yan, Samuel Lino, and Lorran all featured.

Fan-reaktioner

A journalist mapped out which Portugal players follow each other on social media and tried to read squad divisions into it. Bruno Fernandes follows and is followed by all 26 members of the World Cup squad, so that theory crumbles pretty fast. Read the thread.