Nuno Mendes suffers injury during Spain vs Portugal FIFA World Cup 2026 clash

Nuno Mendes won the UEFA Champions League, the Ligue 1 title, and the Trophée des Champions with PSG in the 2025/26 season.

Portugal are currently facing 2010 champions Spain in one of the biggest fixtures of the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2026, which is taking place at the Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Portugal’s success in the FIFA World Cup has been very limited, as they have finished third and fourth once each. Meanwhile, La Roja, the European Champions, have won the summer competition once but, since then, have faced significant issues in knockout rounds.

Thus, both sides are hungry for glory and keen to win the round-of-16 clash and secure a berth in the quarterfinals of the ongoing summer competition, where they will face either the co-hosts, the USA, or Belgium.

While Portugal were giving a decent performance against a highly organised Spanish side, they suffered a major blow in the second half. Nuno Mendes was subbed off due to an injury.

Also Read: Pepe, Carlos Puyol in attendance for Portugal vs Spain FIFA World Cup 2026 clash

Nuno Mendes suffers an injury during the Spain vs Portugal FIFA World Cup 2026 clash

Paris Saint-Germain and Portugal star Nuno Mendes has suffered an injury and was forced to leave the pitch. Nelson Semedo was named as his replacement during the round of 16 clash between Portugal and Spain.

Nuno Mendes’s injury has come up as a huge blow for Roberto Martinez’s men, as he was one of the key players in the line-up. Playing for 55 minutes for Seleção das Quinas at Dallas Stadium, the PSG defender had 50 touches, maintaining a 96% passing accuracy while making four defensive contributions.

Aged 32, Nelson Semedo has taken his spot in the game. The former Barcelona defender currently plays in Turkiye for Fenerbahçe. Due to not playing regularly in a top-five European league, the defender might struggle to contain Lamine Yamal, who’s Spain’s top star and a major goal-scoring threat.

Nevertheless, further updates about the PSG defender’s injuries will be revealed after the game.

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