Mikel Merino came off the bench to score a late winner as Spain defeated Portugal 1-0 in their 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 clash in Dallas, ending Cristiano Ronaldo’s final World Cup campaign and extending Spain’s perfect record against Portugal in the tournament.
Cristiano Ronaldo wanted one last World Cup fairytale. Spain had other ideas.
In a tense, cagey Iberian derby at the Dallas Stadium on Monday, substitute Mikel Merino buried Ferran Torres’ perfectly weighted through ball low into the net in added time to send Spain into the quarter-finals with a 1-0 victory — breaking Portuguese hearts and almost certainly ending the international career of the greatest player his country has ever produced.
Ronaldo had declared in his pre-match press conference that this tournament would be his last and that he hoped to win it. The Portuguese captain came closest in the first half, drawing a smart near-post save from Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon, but the scoreline remained goalless at the break — with Diogo Costa at the other end making a crucial double save to keep Portugal level.
According to Daily Trust,Spain’s best first-half opportunity went begging when Mikel Oyarzabal found himself clean through on goal but failed to convert, leaving the contest delicately poised heading into the second half.
What followed was a tactical, attritional affair — two nations that know each other intimately, probing without fully committing — until Merino, introduced as a late substitute, sprang the offside trap to meet Torres’ through ball and settle the contest with the composure of a man born for the moment.
The victory extends Spain’s remarkable unbeaten World Cup record against Portugal, mirroring their 1-0 win over the same opposition in the 2010 tournament. It also marked Spain’s fifth consecutive clean sheet at the 2026 World Cup — a defensive record that underlines their credentials as genuine title contenders.
La Roja now advance to the quarter-finals at the Los Angeles Stadium on Friday, July 10, where they will face the winner of the USA versus Belgium Round of 16 clash.
NEWS NOW:
