Cristiano Ronaldo backed Spain to reach the World Cup final after they knocked his Portugal side out in the last-16.
Ronaldo was hoping to finally win the World Cup in his sixth and final tournament but was left in tears after Portugal lost 1-0 to Spain.
Portugal only finished second in Group K after failing to beat DR Congo and Colombia but overcome a tricky last-32 game against Croatia.
Their round-of-32 clash against rivals Spain looked destined for extra-time until Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino scored an injury-time winner to send the European champions through.
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Ronaldo said he was wary of making ‘decisions in the heat of the moment’ when asked about his international future after Portugal’s exit but confirmed he had played his last World Cup game.
Discussing Portugal’s World Cup campaign more generally, Ronaldo said ‘we could have done better’ but stressed they were knocked out by a team destined to reach the final ‘or close to it’.
Like Portugal, Spain also underwhelmed in the group stages before thumping Austria and edging out Roberto Martinez’s side to reach the quarter-finals.
Luis de la Fuente’s side face Belgium on Friday night before a potential blockbuster showdown with World Cup favourites France.
‘I don’t make decisions in the heat of the moment, nor do I want to detract from what was done at the World Cup with a personal decision,’ Ronaldo told the Portuguese press.
‘The overall assessment of the World Cup is that we could have done better, but we were eliminated by a team that will be in the final or close to it.
‘I think it was a well-contested game, it could have gone either way, we were a bit unlucky to concede in the last five minutes.
‘But, as I said, I leave with a clear conscience, I gave my best, we gave our best, and when that happens there’s nothing to criticise.’
Ronaldo also thanked departing Portugal boss Martinez, who is set to join the Real Madrid legend in Saudi Arabia at Al-Nassr.
‘What I want to say to the coach is that I loved working with him, he’s a great human being, a great coach, and what he did for Portugal was commendable,’ Ronaldo added.
‘He won a title for Portugal, many people probably don’t value that, but I value it a lot.
‘Portugal hadn’t won anything and in recent years has won three titles, and that shows the value that must be had.’
World Cup holders Argentina survived a huge scare to reach the quarter-finals, coming back from 2-0 down to beat Egypt 3-2 in the dying minutes.
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