Rodri apologises to Bernardo Silva after celebrating miss in former City teammate's face

Rodri has apologised to Bernardo Silva after the pair clashed in the closing moments of Spain’s 1-0 round-of-16 victory over Portugal at the Dallas Stadium on Monday, a result sealed by Mikel Merino’s 91st-minute winner.

Silva, who joined Real Madrid on a free transfer last month after six years alongside Rodri at Manchester City, squandered Portugal’s best chance of an equaliser when he failed to keep a header on target from inside the box in the 96th minute, the ball sailing over the crossbar after a Francisco Conceição delivery.

As Silva slumped to the ground in frustration, Rodri turned and celebrated directly in front of him. Silva rose to his feet and shoved his former teammate before continuing to vent his anger, with Aymeric Laporte and Unai Simón eventually stepping in to separate the two players.

Rodri acknowledged the incident in his post-match interview, accepting he had been wrong to react as he did. “With Bernardo, I think I said this before, I made a mistake because I celebrated when he missed a chance,” the Spain midfielder said. “I apologised to him immediately, but well, we left it at that because of the trust we share.”

The confrontation was a striking moment given the closeness of the pair’s relationship. During their time together at City, they won four Premier League titles and the Champions League, among other honours.

Merino’s decisive goal came six minutes after he was introduced as a substitute in the 85th minute, the Arsenal midfielder latching onto a perfectly-weighted Ferran Torres pass before slotting beyond Diogo Costa. Spain manager Luis de la Fuente was effusive in his praise afterwards, describing Merino as “masterful” and “world-class”.

“I have a great affection for all the players, but with Mikel Merino there’s something special because we’ve known each other for a long time,” De la Fuente said. “He never disappoints; he’s a safe bet.”

Spain now advance to a quarter-final against Belgium, while Portugal’s World Cup campaign is over.