Match Report: Portugal 0-1 Spain

Substitute Mikel Merino scored a dramatic late winner as Spain beat Portugal 1-0 to reach the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, ending Cristiano Ronaldo’s impressive run at the World Cup.

Despite the excitement before kick-off, the match between the two Iberian rivals struggled to produce many clear chances in front of a crowd of more than 70,000 at Dallas Stadium.

With extra-time looking certain, Spain found the breakthrough in the first minute of stoppage time. Ferran Torres slipped a perfectly timed pass into the path of Merino, who calmly finished with his left foot to send Spain into the last eight.

The defeat marks the end of Ronaldo’s World Cup journey, after the 41-year-old confirmed before the match that this tournament would be his final appearance on football’s biggest stage.

Both teams came into the match unbeaten in the tournament. While Portugal had shown moments of quality during the tournament, Spain had been outstanding in defence and had not conceded a single goal before this match. They kept that record intact with another clean sheet.

Spain remain one of the favourites to win the tournament, although their only FIFA World Cup title was in South Africa 2010. Portugal’s best finish remains third place, achieved in 1966.

Before kick-off, both sets of players observed a touching tribute as an image of the late Portuguese forward Diogo Jota was shown on the stadium’s giant screen.

Spain almost took the lead inside the opening ten minutes when Dani Olmo played Mikel Oyarzabal through on goal, but the forward dragged his effort wide with only Diogo Costa to beat.

Ronaldo had Portugal’s first real opportunity, forcing Unai Simón into a save from a tight angle.

Spain gradually took control of the match, with Lamine Yamal and Álex Baena both testing Costa, who produced an excellent fingertip save to keep the scores level.

Portugal finished the first half strongly and almost went ahead when Pedro Porro accidentally headed Nuno Mendes’ effort onto his own crossbar.

Portugal suffered a setback early in the second half when their best player in the game Nuno Mendes was forced off with an injury after 56 minutes.

The match remained tight, with both teams struggling to create clear opportunities. Portugal manager Roberto Martínez made several substitutions but decided to keep Ronaldo on the pitch until the end.

Just as extra-time seemed inevitable, Ferran Torres released fellow substitute Mikel Merino, and the Arsenal player slotted home with his left foot to give Spain the win.

The European champions will now face Belgium in the quarter-finals on Friday in Los Angeles.