MU Shorts
Madrid World Cup Spotlight: Marc Cucurella and Thibaut Courtois progress; Bernardo Silva returns home
Real Madrid had yet another mixed day of representation at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with some players progressing to the next round and others returning home.
Spain played Portugal in the first game of the night, in what was anticipated to be a top-billing clash between the two neighbouring nations.
Both teams had their fair share of chances in the first half, but Portugal chose to sit deep in the second and let La Roja gain total control of the game.
Defensively, Spain looked unbeatable, and offensively, Ferran Torres and Mikel Merino combined to score the goal that took them past Portugal.
Belgium faced the USA in the second game of the night and saved their best performance so far for the round-of-16 game against the hosts.
Having reached this stage by narrowly beating Senegal, they played Mauricio Pochettino’s side off the park in an incredible display.
From a Madrid perspective, Marc Cucurella for Spain and Thibaut Courtois for Belgium reached the next round, while Bernardo Silva with Portugal will be returning home.
Here is how the trio fared on the night.
Marc Cucurella vs Portugal
Marc Cucurella moved on with Spain after a tense 1-0 win over Portugal.
Cucurella’s performance was not one of his loudest of the tournament, but it was another mature knockout display.
From a Madrid perspective, that is the kind of reliability that matters at this stage.
Cucurella did not need to dominate the game going forward. Spain needed him to defend, keep the left side stable and survive Portugal’s late push.
He did that well enough. This was a match of small margins, and Cucurella’s value came through concentration rather than spectacle.
Spain have now moved into the quarter-finals, and he remains part of a defence that looks increasingly difficult to break.
Bernardo Silva vs Spain
Bernardo’s night was much more painful.
He started on the bench again, came on as Portugal chased the game, picked up a yellow card shortly after entering, and then missed a huge stoppage-time chance to equalise with a header that went over.
Bernardo is a player built for control, pauses and clever choices, but this match threw him into chaos. Portugal needed one clean final action, and the chance fell to him.
That miss should not define his quality, but it will define his World Cup ending.
Knockout football is ruthless like that. Bernardo had the ball, the moment and the space, but not the finish.
Thibaut Courtois vs the USA
Courtois had the most comfortable result of the three, even if Belgium’s win over the USA was not a perfect defensive performance.
The Americans equalised through Malik Tillman, but Belgium responded almost immediately and eventually ran out 4-1 winners.
This was not a classic Courtois rescue act. Belgium’s attackers and the USA’s defensive mistakes shaped the result more than any goalkeeping masterclass.
The best part for the Belgian goalkeeper, though, is that he has progressed to the next round without any drama.
Overall, it was a mixed but important Madrid day. Cucurella stayed solid and progressed, Bernardo exited with regret, and Courtois moved into the quarter-finals with Belgium.
Real Madrid will lock horns with Elche CF away at Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero later tonight in Matchday 6 of the 2026/27 La Liga season.
The Merengues are currently second in the league standings with four wins and one defeat from five games, three points behind Barcelona, who are yet to drop a single point this term, and have looked unstoppable.
Given the situation, Real Madrid know there is no room for slip-up, even though it is still very early in the season.
Jose Mourinho’s men have not been particularly convincing away from home this term, having just about managed to beat RCD Espanyol in their opening match before falling to their only defeat of the campaign against Real Betis.
The hope will be to address that issue and put in a strong performance while collecting all three points heading into the derby against Atletico Madrid later in the week.
Going into the match, Los Blancos have not received any new fitness boosts, with Eder Militao, Rodrygo Goes, and Ferland Mendy still unavailable.
However, there will likely be some rotations with an eye on the derby, and here’s how Mourinho could set his team up against Elche tonight.
Defence
Trent Alexander-Arnold has had to share minutes with summer signing Denzel Dumfries so far this season, but will be hoping to make the right-back spot his own with a convincing performance tonight against Elche.
Meanwhile, on the left, Alvaro Carreras is expected to retain his place after a brilliant display at the weekend against Rayo Vallecano, which would also allow Marc Cucurella to be protected before the derby.
At centre-back, Dean Huijsen is expected to return to the starting lineup, at the expense of Antonio Rudiger, and partner with Ibrahima Konate.
Thibaut Courtois is the undisputed starter in goal for Real Madrid and will continue his search for a second clean sheet this season.
Midfield
While Aurelien Tchouameni has returned from his injury layoff, he is unlikely to be rushed back by Mourinho. As such, the Frenchman is likely to feature off the bench once again tonight at Elche.
Instead, the double pivot pairing of Federico Valverde and Bernardo Silva is expected to take the field once again, with Eduardo Camavinga also having to settle for a spot among the substitutes.
Jude Bellingham has started all of Real Madrid’s matches so far this season and given his form and importance to the team, Mourinho will not rotate him tonight against Elche.
Attack
Yan Diomande made his first start at Real Madrid last weekend against Rayo Vallecano but failed to make the best impression.
Meanwhile, Arda Guler was once again brilliant for Los Blancos after coming on as a substitute, making a strong case for him to be reinstated to the starting XI on the right wing.
As for the left side of the attack, Vinicius Jr. will retain his place, hoping to find his best form after a rather slow start to the campaign.
Kylian Mbappe, who has now scored six goals in La Liga this season, will spearhead the attack, hoping to end his run of seven months without scoring away from home in the league.
