Rodri apologises to Bernardo Silva after celebrating miss in his face during Spain's win over Portugal

Rodri has apologised to former Manchester City teammate Bernardo Silva after appearing to taunt him during Spain’s 1-0 World Cup round-of-16 victory over Portugal at the Dallas Stadium on Monday.

Silva squandered a gilt-edged chance to equalise in the 96th minute, heading wide from a Francisco Conceição delivery inside the box. As the 31-year-old dropped to the ground in frustration, Rodri turned and celebrated directly in his face. Silva responded by pushing Rodri as he rose to his feet, and the pair exchanged words for several seconds before Aymeric Laporte and Unai Simón stepped in to separate them.

The flashpoint was a striking one given the pair spent six years together at City, winning four Premier League titles and a Champions League. Rodri acknowledged in his post-match interview that he had overstepped.

“As for Bernardo, I think I mentioned it earlier: I made a mistake,” Rodri said. “I excessively celebrated an action when he had failed a play. I immediately apologised to him right after, but it stays on the pitch. We have a lot of confidence between us. So it’s all good.”

Silva had joined Real Madrid on a free transfer from City last month, making the encounter his first competitive meeting with several former teammates now wearing Spain colours.

The decisive moment of the match had come moments earlier, when substitute Mikel Merino headed home in the 91st minute to settle the tie. The Arsenal midfielder, introduced in the 85th minute, got on the end of an inch-perfect Ferran Torres pass and slid the ball past Diogo Costa.

Spain manager Luis de la Fuente was effusive in his praise of Merino after the final whistle. “I’m very happy for him,” De la Fuente said. “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. He’s world-class. I want to emphasise the importance of the players who come off the bench. And Mikel never disappoints; he’s a safe bet.”

Spain now advance to the quarter-finals, where they will face Belgium on Friday.