Spain booked their place in the World Cup quarter-finals after Mikel Merino came off the bench to score a dramatic stoppage-time winner in a 1-0 victory over Portugal in Dallas. His composed finish in the 91st minute ended a tightly contested last-16 encounter and secured a meeting with Belgium in Los Angeles on Friday, 10 July (20:00 BST).
The decisive move came after Ferran Torres slipped a pass into Merino, who calmly placed the ball beyond Diogo Costa. Spain had struggled to create clear opportunities during much of the second half, making the late breakthrough even more significant.
The result mirrored the nations’ meeting at the same stage of the 2010 World Cup and also marked the end of Cristiano Ronaldo’s career on football’s biggest stage. The 41-year-old had already confirmed that this tournament would be his final World Cup appearance.
Spain threaten early as Portugal responds
The visitors almost found an immediate breakthrough when Dani Olmo’s pass released Mikel Oyarzabal behind the defence inside three minutes, but the forward pulled his effort wide of the target. Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa then reacted brilliantly with consecutive saves to keep out attempts from Lamine Yamal and Alex Baena.
Portugal gradually settled into the match and produced their own dangerous moments before the interval. Nuno Mendes came closest to opening the scoring in the 41st minute when his powerful left-foot strike, helped by a deflection off Pedro Porro, crashed against the crossbar.
Cristiano Ronaldo also tested Unai Simon with an early effort in the 12th minute and later came close to turning in a knockdown from his Al-Nassr teammate Joao Felix before half-time. Despite those chances, neither side managed to find the breakthrough before the whistle.
Little separates rivals until decisive moment
The second half offered fewer opportunities as both teams struggled to create clear openings. Portugal looked increasingly comfortable, while Spain found it difficult to break through a disciplined defence.
Bruno Fernandes fired into the side netting in the 76th minute, while at the opposite end Dani Olmo saw a close-range effort blocked courageously by Ruben Dias. As the match drifted towards extra time, neither side appeared capable of producing the winning moment.
That changed after Rodri earned a free-kick deep into stoppage time. Portugal were caught out defensively, Torres supplied the final pass, and Merino finished low into the bottom-left corner to spark jubilant celebrations among the Spanish players.
End of an era for Ronaldo
Recent meetings between Spain and Portugal have been remarkably even, with six of their previous seven encounters ending level after 90 minutes. This contest also seemed destined for extra time, much like the Nations League final in June 2025, when Portugal eventually triumphed on penalties.
Instead, Spain found the decisive goal at the last possible moment, extending goalkeeper Unai Simon’s impressive World Cup run without conceding to 609 minutes. Portugal, meanwhile, were left to reflect on a match where they had remained competitive but ultimately fell short.
For Ronaldo, the defeat brought the curtain down on his World Cup journey. The Portugal captain remained on the pitch until the final whistle but managed only 19 touches throughout the match, with just three coming inside the penalty area. After the game, Spain’s 18-year-old Lamine Yamal was among those offering comfort to the disappointed forward in a scene that symbolised one generation giving way to the next.
