Merino Sends Spain Into World Cup Quarter-Finals as Portugal and Ronaldo Exit

Posted : 07 July 2026

Spain secured a place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals after substitute Mikel Merino scored a dramatic 91st-minute winner in a tense 1-0 victory over Portugal at Dallas Stadium.

The European champions controlled large spells of the contest but were forced to wait until stoppage time before breaking Portugal's resistance. Merino, introduced just six minutes earlier by coach Luis de la Fuente, calmly finished past Diogo Costa after being played through by fellow substitute Ferran Torres.

Spain threatened early and should have opened the scoring in the eighth minute when Mikel Oyarzabal beat the offside trap, but he dragged his effort wide after collecting Dani Olmo's precise through ball. Lamine Yamal and Álex Baena also tested Costa, who produced two excellent saves to keep Portugal level.

Portugal created their best opportunities through Cristiano Ronaldo and Nuno Mendes before the interval. Ronaldo forced Unai Simón into a smart save with an instinctive volley, while Mendes saw a powerful strike deflect onto the crossbar after a well-worked corner routine.

The match changed in the second half when Mendes was forced off with an injury. His replacement, Nelson Semedo, found it more difficult to contain Yamal, allowing Spain to increase the pressure. Baena and Yamal both came close before Bruno Fernandes fired into the side-netting as Portugal searched for a breakthrough.

With extra time approaching, Spain's substitutes combined to settle the contest. Rodri found Ferran Torres, who produced a clever pass into the path of Merino. The Arsenal midfielder kept his composure before placing a low finish into the bottom corner to seal Spain's victory.

The result ends Cristiano Ronaldo's final FIFA World Cup appearance after the Portugal captain had confirmed before the tournament that this would be his last on football's biggest stage. Ronaldo finishes his World Cup career with 11 goals and two assists across six tournaments while becoming only the second player to start 25 World Cup matches after Lionel Messi.

Spain also continued their remarkable defensive record. La Roja became the first team in FIFA World Cup history to keep six consecutive clean sheets and have now gone more than 10 hours without conceding a goal in the competition. Portugal failed to register a single shot on target in the second half and finished with an expected goals (xG) total of 0.60 from 10 attempts, compared to Spain's 1.77 xG from 15 shots.

Merino's late strike was Spain's second 90th-minute winning goal in World Cup history and the 10th last-minute winner recorded at the 2026 tournament, the highest total in a single edition. Spain will now face Belgium in the quarter-finals as they continue their bid for another World Cup title.

Merino Sends Spain Into World Cup Quarter-Finals as Portugal and Ronaldo Exit

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