The most chaotic moment of Portugal’s Round of 16 match against Spain came in the 91st minute. Spain's Ferran Torres set up Mikel Merino for an added-time winner to send La Roja through to the quarterfinals, breaking millions of Portuguese hearts and ending Cristiano Ronaldo’s dream of a World Cup title.
The second-most chaotic moment didn’t take place on the pitch but in the mixed zone where hundreds of journalists crowded into the basement of AT&T Stadium to get a prime viewing spot for the post-match player interviews.
Manchester City’s Rodri was first to speak, followed by his club teammate Rúben Dias as the first Portugal player to appear in front of the media. As journalists prepared for an opportunity to ask Portuguese players about their heartbreaking collapse in Texas, a bizarre exchange took place.
WATCH: Ruben Dias walks out of his mixed zone press conference
Rather than handing the microphone to the nearest journalist, Portugal’s press officer, Francisco Trigo de Abreu, demanded that a Portuguese journalist ask the first question. “Aren’t there any Portuguese here?” he questioned the room.
When a Brazilian journalist attempted to ask a question, Abreu questioned where he was from before taking note of his Brazilian accent. He then turned to Renata Pereira, a Brazilian who has spent the past 22 years working as a FIFA Media Officer. Pereira suggested they do a quick round of questions in Portuguese.
Abreu refused – it had to be a Portuguese journalist. Perhaps he was looking out for personal connections. In Miami, after Portugal’s draw with Colombia, he ensured that Portuguese journalists were allowed to ask Roberto Martínez the bulk of questions in the post-match press conference.
Back then, Portugal still harbored ambitions of reaching a maiden World Cup Final, and the stadium was overwhelmed by Brazilian and Colombian journalists, with Portuguese natives being crowded out amidst the noise.
Abreu eventually got his way, repeating: “Where are the Portuguese journalists?” Just as Dias was getting ready to exit, a Portuguese journalist was finally spotted, and Abreu personally handed him the microphone.
In the midst of this delay, however, Mikel Merino had arrived at an adjacent stage and stepped up to the microphone before speaking in front of the journalists in the mixed zone nearby. A logistical issue that has plagued the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Dias wouldn’t allow it. He had had enough of Merino ruining the last two months, from helping Arsenal win the Premier League title at the expense of City to knocking Portugal out of the World Cup. He wasn’t prepared to strain to discern what exactly the Portuguese journalist was saying and simply walked off the stage.
Had Abreu simply handed the microphone to the nearest journalist instead of going to extraordinary lengths to find a compatriot, Dias wouldn’t have had an issue understanding the question.
Three Spain players spoke with press before a single Portuguese player had done so. Nélson Semedo finally arrived after an hour of waiting, but he was only able to answer three questions before being whisked away by Abreu, with Cristiano Ronaldo then heading to the microphone to discuss the defeat and confirm that this was, in fact his final World Cup.
For a team that was regarded as one of the favorites going into this tournament, Portugal’s 2026 World Cup campaign will be regarded as a massive failure, one where their countless world-class players were never quite on the same page with one another. And for the hordes of journalists who had massed in AT&T Stadium’s substratum, it will be remembered for Abreu’s odd behaviour.
