After confirming this will be his last World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo insisted that whenever his final match arrives, he will walk away at peace.

And yes, even if that comes as soon as Monday in Portugal’s round of 16 clash with Spain in Arlington, Texas.

“I’m going to be perfectly honest, regardless of what happens tomorrow, Cristiano is going to be 1000% leaving with a clear conscience,” the 41-year-old said at Sunday’s pre-match press conference. “I have given all I could to football. It’s my passion to play for so many years. I didn’t do it out of need; I’m doing well out of life. It’s about passion. I play for the national team, and I love to play football.

“Regardless of what happens tomorrow, I’m not going to exert pressure on myself that I must win.”

That’s probably best for Ronaldo’s side, who will enter the match as modest underdogs against a Spanish team that is among the oddsmakers’ favorites to win the whole tournament.

Portugal squeaked into the last 16 in dramatic and disputed fashion with a 2-1 victory over Croatia, in which manager Roberto Martinez pulled Ronaldo in the 81st minute and was rewarded with Goncalo Ramos’ winner in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time.

After that came the controversial decision to rule an apparent miracle equalizer from Croatia offside even deeper in extra time.

Despite Ronaldo’s lack of involvement in the late drama, Spain manager Luis de la Fuente still says his side must be aware of the one-time Manchester United and Real Madrid star, who remains his country’s most productive scorer at his sixth World Cup.

“As a footballer, he is someone you have to take care of, he can change a game in the moment,” de la Fuente said. “It’s not that we have to do man-to-man marking, but in certain areas we have to be aware he’s there.

“Cristiano has quality and class, and in any moment he can be decisive. I would prefer if he didn’t play, of course, but I think he will.”

Both teams have already had slip-ups, with Portugal playing the Democratic Republic of Congo to a 1-1 draw in their group opener and Spain playing to a nil-nil affair to open their tournament against Cape Verde.

Those results looked better as the tournament wore on, with the Congolese putting a scare into England in the round of 32 and the Cape Verdeans doing the same to Argentina.

And while Ronaldo may be in the twilight of his career, his three goals are still a far more productive tournament than that of Spain’s 18-year-old starlet Lamine Yamal. He has only one goal through four appearances while gradually increasing his minutes to work back from a mid-April hamstring injury.

Portugal haven’t won a match against their Iberian neighbors since a 2010 friendly, though they did defeat Spain on penalties to capture the 2025 UEFA Nations League final following a 2-2 draw.

“I think the game will be very different, not only in a football sense,” de la Fuente said of Monday’s clash. “Our football idea is similar; we like to have the ball. But it’s the World Cup and a World Cup is a unique opportunity.”

–Field Level Media

The Milwaukee Brewers placed starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff on the 15-day injured list on Sunday because of right shoulder inflammation after his exit in the fourth inning from a loss Saturday night to the host Arizona Diamondbacks.

In a corresponding move, the Brewers recalled left-hander Drew Rom from Triple-A Nashville.

Woodruff allowed three runs on two hits and one walk with six strikeouts in facing 14 batters in 3 2/3 innings while taking the loss in the 4-3 setback in Phoenix. He was making his third start since returning from surgery to address a cyst in his shoulder joint, which caused him to spend nearly two months on the IL.

The 33-year-old said he felt similar discomfort in his shoulder since the second inning. His velocity dropped from 92.5 mph in the first inning to 86.6 on his fastball in the fourth, and 82.9 mph in the first to 76.6 on his changeup.

“It gets frustrating having to go through this stuff, but I’m in a good spot mentally with it,” Woodruff said. “I know what’s before me. I know what I’m dealing with, so if I can avoid some things, it just becomes, ‘Get back on the field and pitch and help them win.'”

Woodruff exited the game after a visit from Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy, athletic trainer Brad Epstein and pitching coach Chris Hook.

“It’s really unfortunate. He’s a huge part of our organization, a huge part of our team this year and was a huge part of the team last year,” Murphy said. “He just has an unbelievable presence and does whatever he can to help people. And he’s a great pitcher.”

Woodruff is 2-2 with a 2.98 ERA, 10 walks and 47 strikeouts in 45 1/3 innings over nine starts this season.

He missed the entire 2024 season after undergoing right shoulder surgery to repair his anterior capsule.

The two-time All-Star (2019, 2021) has a career 55-30 record and 3.10 ERA over 151 appearances (136 starts) across nine seasons for the Brewers since 2017.

Milwaukee selected Woodruff in the 11th round of the 2014 MLB Draft.

Rom, 26, is 1-0 with a 3.18 ERA, four walks and 11 strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings over five relief appearances this season for Milwaukee. He was 3-1 with one save, a 2.51 ERA, 10 walks and 47 strikeouts in 32 1/3 innings over 25 relief appearances at Nashville this season.

He also pitched in 2023 for the St. Louis Cardinals and was 1-4 with an 8.02 ERA in 33 2/3 innings over eight games (all starts).

–Field Level Media

Returning home from a rough road swing, the Los Angeles Sparks will look to bounce back after a lengthy layoff when they host the Seattle Storm on Monday.

Los Angeles (8-10) dropped decisions by 28 points at Toronto on June 25 and 24 points at Indiana on June 27. The blowout losses came on the heels of the Sparks learning they would be without leading scorer Kelsey Plum for a stretch of at least four weeks.

A nine-year veteran who is averaging 2.6 made 3-pointers and a career-high 23.9 points per game, Plum sustained a left leg injury that required heavy wrapping during Los Angeles’ 98-97 win over New York on June 21.

“She’s the best one-on-one player in the league. She’s having an MVP (type of) season,” Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said of Plum.

Roberts lamented Plum being excluded from the starting lineup of the WNBA All-Star Game, which was determined by a combination of fan, player and media balloting. Plum finished sixth among guards in fan voting, with Los Angeles teammate Nneka Ogwumike eighth among frontcourt players.

Ogwumike is averaging 16.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in Year 1 of her second tenure with the Sparks. Ogwumike leads Los Angeles on Monday against a Seattle franchise for which she finished in the top seven of MVP voting in the 2024 and 2025 seasons.

Ogwumike’s exit to return to Los Angeles, where she previously played from 2012-2023, is not the only change from a year ago for the struggling Storm (5-17).

Gone from Seattle’s 2025 roster after sweeping offseason changes are Gabby Williams, Skylar Diggins, Brittney Sykes and Erica Wheeler, a veteran guard who joined Ogwumike with the Sparks. Of the Storm’s top six scorers a season ago, four-time WNBA All-Defensive honoree forward Ezi Magbegor is the only one still in the Seattle organization.

Magbegor, though, was sidelined for the first 20 games of the regular season with a right foot injury. She made her 2026 debut in Thursday’s 90-67 loss at Phoenix, scoring eight points in 17 minutes. Magbegor followed that with four points, seven rebounds and two blocks in 14 minutes of Seattle’s 77-72 loss Saturday to Portland.

While the new-look Storm roster adjusted before Magbegor’s return, rookie Awa Fam stepped up as one of the team’s most consistent contributors. Fam is averaging 12.0 points on 51.7% shooting from the floor, 5.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.

“It’s just been fun to see her growth over the last few games,” Magbegor said of Fam. “She’s not new to this professional life, but just to be able to see her settle into the (WNBA) is really exciting.”

–Field Level Media