Mikel Merino’s dramatic stoppage-time strike secured Spain a 1-0 victory over Portugal, ending Cristiano Ronaldo’s World Cup career and sending La Roja into the quarter-finals after a tense last-16 clash in Dallas.
Introduced from the bench, Merino broke the deadlock in the first minute of added time when he latched onto Ferran Torres’ perfectly weighted pass and calmly guided the ball beyond goalkeeper Diogo Costa. The decisive goal came after Spain struggled to carve out meaningful chances for much of the second half.
The result mirrored Spain’s 1-0 triumph over Portugal at the same stage of the 2010 World Cup and earned them a quarter-final showdown against either co-hosts the United States or Belgium in Los Angeles on Friday, July 10.
The defeat also marked the end of Ronaldo’s illustrious World Cup journey. The 41-year-old had already announced that this tournament would be his final appearance on football’s biggest stage.
Spain nearly made the perfect start just three minutes into the contest when Dani Olmo’s incisive pass released Mikel Oyarzabal behind the Portuguese defence. However, the Real Sociedad forward failed to hit the target, dragging his effort wide.
Diogo Costa then kept Portugal in the game with two outstanding saves in quick succession, denying Lamine Yamal and Alex Baena as Spain continued to pile on the pressure. Portugal, however, came closest to scoring before half-time when Nuno Mendes unleashed a powerful effort that deflected off Pedro Porro and crashed against the crossbar.
Portugal looked more dangerous after the restart, but clear opportunities remained scarce. Ronaldo endured a frustrating evening in attack as Roberto Martinez’s men struggled to break down the Spanish defence despite enjoying more possession in spells.
Bruno Fernandes fired into the side-netting in the 76th minute, while Dani Olmo saw a promising effort blocked heroically by Ruben Dias at the other end. Just when extra time appeared inevitable, substitutes Ferran Torres and Mikel Merino combined brilliantly, with the latter applying the composed finish that sealed Spain’s place in the last eight.
