Spain reached the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup after Mikel Merino scored a stoppage-time winner to secure a 1-0 victory over Portugal in Dallas.
The match appeared to be heading for extra time after a tense and closely contested second half, but Spain’s substitutes combined in the first minute of added time to decide the last-16 tie.
Ferran Torres supplied the pass for Merino, who struck a powerful low finish to beat Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa and send Spain through to the next round.
Luis de la Fuente’s side will now travel to Los Angeles Stadium, where they will face the winners of the match between the United States and Belgium.
The result also appeared to bring Cristiano Ronaldo’s World Cup career to an end. The Portugal captain had said before the match that this tournament would be his final World Cup.
“This will be my last World Cup,” he reiterated pre-match.
Ronaldo leaves the competition having scored 11 goals in 27 World Cup appearances. The 41-year-old also set several records during his tournament career, including becoming the first male player to score at six World Cup finals.
Portugal Threaten in Goalless First Half
Spain created the clearer opportunities in an open first half but were unable to find a breakthrough.
Mikel Oyarzabal had Spain’s best opening when Dani Olmo played him through on goal. However, the forward pulled his effort wide.
Diogo Costa then made an important save to deny Alex Baena, tipping the Spain player’s curling shot around the post.
Portugal also carried a threat, with Ronaldo involved in their attacking play. Their closest chance came through Nuno Mendes, whose deflected strike hit the crossbar.
Neither side was able to take control of the match before the interval, despite both teams creating moments of danger.
The second half was more cautious, with Spain and Portugal showing greater concern about conceding. Portugal defended deeply at times, while Spain continued to retain possession and search for a route through.
The match looked set for extra time until Torres and Merino made the decisive intervention.
Bench Impact Decides the Contest
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente praised the contribution of his substitutes after Merino’s late goal.
“The decisive players were those who came off the bench. I told Merino he should play how he always does. His role is to support the midfielders and the forwards. With him, we were thinking about giving the team the rhythm and energy it needed. The players’ impact from the bench has been masterful, but that’s because we have 26 players of a very high level.”
Merino’s goal continued his recent scoring run for Spain. After waiting more than three years for his first international goal, he has now scored nine times in his past 17 appearances for the national team.
Spain also made World Cup history by recording a sixth consecutive clean sheet, becoming the first team to achieve that sequence in the competition.
Rodri was named Michelob Ultra Superior Player of the Match after helping Spain maintain control in midfield and protect their lead in the closing moments.
Portugal Reflect on Missed Opportunity
Portugal midfielder Bruno Fernandes said his side had not performed at their highest level, despite believing they had been stronger in the first half.
“Obviously we are sad. We came here with one goal: to win the whole thing. Unfortunately we were not at our best level. I think we played better in the first half today, but in the second half we made the same mistake of defending too low on the pitch, giving the ball to them. When this happens, sooner or later you are going to concede a goal. Congratulations to Spain, they have quality, but I think that if we continued doing what we did in the first half, we could have had a better result.”
Portugal coach Roberto Martínez said his team had been unfortunate after hitting the crossbar and defending well against one of the tournament favourites.
“The Portuguese people can be proud of this team and these players. It’s a real pity. We hit the crossbar. I think we deserved to take the game into extra time. We defended well. We were playing against one of the favourites to win the World Cup. Maybe we were just missing a bit of luck. Luck wasn’t on our side today, but it was a very evenly matched game.”
