Mikel Merino's late winner sends Spain into FIFA World Cup quarter-finals at Portugal's expense

Substitute Mikel Merino scored a stoppage-time winner as Spain ended Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo's FIFA World Cup 2026 dream with a 1-0 victory at Dallas Stadium in Arlington on Monday.

Merino's strike just six minutes after his insertion takes La Roja to their first quarterfinals since lifting their only World Cup trophy in 2010. They'll next face the winner of Monday's second match between the United States and Belgium on Friday in Inglewood.

It was Ronaldo's last World Cup game, who said that he would retire after the tournament. He had three goals at his record-tying sixth World Cup.

Unlike Argentina's Lionel Messi, who fulfilled his World Cup dream by winning the 2022 tournament in his fifth appearance and reached the 2014 final, Ronaldo will complete his sixth elite event without reaching a final. Portugal's best performance came during his tenure via a semifinal run in his 2006 tournament debut.

Merino scored the winner in the 90+1st minute to seal victory for Spain, after what was a largely uneventful second half, and from a seemingly innocent restart well beyond the penalty arc.

Fellow substitutes Ferran Torres and Fabian Ruiz combined through the middle to play Merino into the penalty area alone, who made the run between the centre-halves and he slotted the ball into the bottom corner.

Portugal's attack, which was largely quiet for most of the second half, finally came alive in search of a miracle equaliser. Bernardo Silva came closest to levelling with a header narrowly over the bar six minutes into the added time.

But it would've been undeserved, with Portugal's attack rarely troubling goalkeeper Unai Simon. He finished with only two saves while keeping Spain the only side in this tournament yet to concede.