Key facts
- Rodri apologized to Bernardo Silva for celebrating his missed chance during Spain's 1-0 World Cup win over Portugal.
- Silva, a former Manchester City teammate of Rodri, missed a late header that could have equalized for Portugal.
- Rodri celebrated directly in Silva's face after the miss, leading to a confrontation.
- The two players have a history of playing together in Manchester City's midfield since 2019.
- Silva left Manchester City this summer to join Real Madrid.
Spain midfielder Rodri has expressed regret for his actions after Spain's 1-0 victory over Portugal in a World Cup match. Following Bernardo Silva's missed late chance to equalize, Rodri celebrated directly in his former Manchester City teammate's face, leading to a confrontation.
Silva, who left Manchester City this summer to join Real Madrid, had a chance to take the round-of-16 game to extra time but headed over the crossbar in stoppage time. As Silva lay on the ground in frustration, Rodri approached him and made a taunting gesture. Silva reacted by pushing Rodri and pointing in his face, with other players intervening.
Rodri told reporters after the game that he had apologized to Silva immediately. "I made a mistake because I celebrated when he had missed. I apologized to him immediately," Rodri stated, attributing the incident to the trust between them. The two players have been teammates in Manchester City's midfield since 2019.
Mikel Merino scored the decisive goal for Spain in the 91st minute. Spain will now face Belgium in the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, former Portugal player Ricardo Quaresma criticized the team's performance, stating they were "strolling around" and lacked intensity.