TEXAS: Ahead of his side’s FIFA World Cup Rounf of 16 match against Spain, Portuguese football icon Cristiano Ronaldo received a heartwarming message from his mother Maria.

Portugal head into the clash after a dramatic 2-1 victory over Croatia in the Round of 32, with Goncalo Ramos scoring a stoppage-time winner to keep their title hopes alive.

“Good luck to our national team, we are together, ” Maria wrote in an Instagram post.

Roberto Martinez’s side are chasing back-to-back FIFA World Cup quarter-final appearances for the first time in the nation’s history, although they have not won successive World Cup knockout matches since 2006.

Standing in their way is a Spain side that has impressed throughout the tournament. Luis de la Fuente’s men stormed into the Round of 16 with a commanding 3-0 win over Austria and became the first team since Germany in the 2014 World Cup final to prevent their opponents from registering a single shot on target in a knockout match.

The Iberian rivals last met at the World Cup in 2018, when Ronaldo scored a memorable hat-trick in a thrilling 3-3 draw.

Portugal will now hope their captain can produce another decisive performance and extend his farewell World Cup journey by at least one more match. (ANI)