Spain face France as Ronaldo photo debunked and Benfica fall to Flamengo

Spain face France in semi-final after knocking you out

The team that ended your World Cup goes again Tuesday. Spain meet France in the first semi-final of the 2026 World Cup (1). Mikel Merino's late goal in the round of 16 sent Portugal home and put Spain into the quarter-finals, where they advanced to set up this one. France are the reigning runners-up from 2022. One of them will be a finalist by the end of the night.

That viral Ronaldo photo is fake

A photograph circulating after Portugal's elimination that appeared to show Cristiano Ronaldo crying alongside Georgina Rodríguez is not real. The image was doctored and spread widely, but the original context had nothing to do with the World Cup exit (2).

Liverpool told £43m for Schjelderup

Benfica winger Andreas Schjelderup has a price tag: £43m. Liverpool are interested, and his World Cup performances for Norway have reportedly pushed the asking price higher (4). Schjelderup is said to be eyeing a summer move.

Benfica fall 2–1 to Flamengo in Algarve friendly

Benfica lost 1–2 to Flamengo in a friendly at the Estádio Algarve (5). Gerson and Bruno Henrique scored for the Brazilian side, with Danilo getting Benfica's goal. Flamengo midfielder Jorginho called matches against European sides "positive experiences" for working on tactical situations you do not see as often in South America (5).

Fan reactions

The Jorge Jesus chatter is alive. A post confirming Jesus wants Ronaldo in his Portugal plans lit up r/soccer, with fans debating whether the 39-year-old remains an asset or a symbol the next cycle needs to move past. Separately, a journalist's social-media deep-dive claimed to show squad divisions, though one finding undercut the theory: Bruno Fernandes follows and is followed by all 26 World Cup teammates. Read the discussion here.