Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino made an immediate impact after coming off the bench, scoring a dramatic 91st-minute winner to hand Spain a 1-0 victory over Portugal and book their place in the World Cup quarter-finals.
Match Report
Mikel Merino proved decisive after his introduction, netting a stoppage-time winner to give Spain a 1-0 triumph over Portugal and secure a place in the World Cup quarter-finals.
The Arsenal midfielder found the net beyond Diogo Costa just six minutes after entering the match at Dallas Stadium, sending Spain into the last eight where they will face either the United States or Belgium.
Merino’s late strike condemned Portugal to another early World Cup exit and brought an end to Cristiano Ronaldo’s final opportunity to chase World Cup glory after the five-time Ballon d’Or winner confirmed this would be his last tournament with the national team.
Spain nearly opened the scoring in the eighth minute when Mikel Oyarzabal timed his run perfectly to beat the offside trap, but after latching onto Dani Olmo’s precise through ball, he pulled his effort wide of the target.
The European champions continued to dominate the early stages but were repeatedly denied by Costa. The Portugal goalkeeper first pushed away Lamine Yamal’s curling attempt before reacting quickly to tip Alex Baena’s effort behind.
Portugal responded when Ronaldo’s instinctive volley, created by excellent work from Joao Felix, was denied by Unai Simon. Soon after, Nuno Mendes unleashed a fierce effort following a short-corner routine that took a touch off Pedro Porro before crashing against the crossbar.
Mendes, who had done an excellent job of containing Yamal, was forced off injured in the 56th minute. His replacement, Nelson Semedo, struggled to keep the Spain winger quiet, allowing Baena another chance to test Costa.
Yamal later saw a free-kick pushed over the bar, while Bruno Fernandes fired into the side-netting as the second half looked destined for extra time. However, Merino, introduced six minutes earlier in place of Olmo, produced the decisive moment.
Substitute Ferran Torres collected Rodri’s pass, turned smartly and slipped Merino through on goal. The midfielder remained composed before calmly finishing past Costa into the bottom-left corner, delivering the winning goal and sending Portugal out of the tournament.
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Before kick-off, Ronaldo revealed he would continue playing professional football but confirmed this would be his final World Cup with Portugal. His hopes of finally lifting the trophy once again slipped away in North America.
Despite the disappointment, Ronaldo leaves behind an impressive World Cup legacy. He became only the second player to start 25 World Cup matches, behind Lionel Messi (27), and across his record six tournament appearances, he recorded 11 goals and two assists, although Portugal never progressed beyond fourth place.
Portugal also missed the chance to reach consecutive World Cup quarter-finals for the first time, with their campaign ended by two inspired substitutions from Luis de la Fuente in Torres and Merino.
Merino’s arrival surprised many considering Olmo’s strong display, but the midfielder delivered Spain’s second-ever “90th minute winner” at a World Cup, following Peiro’s strike against Mexico in 1962.
It also marked the third occasion since records began in 1996 that Spain scored a goal created and finished by substitutes, following similar moments against Yugoslavia in 1982 and Australia in 2014. La Roja’s defence also played a crucial role.
Ronaldo’s 12th-minute effort represented the first shot on target Spain had faced in the first half of this World Cup. They also became the first side in tournament history to register six consecutive clean sheets and were rarely tested throughout the contest.
Portugal failed to register a single shot on target after the break. Two of their five second-half attempts arrived in stoppage time, and they ended the match with an expected goals (xG) figure of 0.6 from 10 shots, compared to Spain’s 1.77 xG from 15 attempts.