Mikel Merino emerged as Spain’s hero on Monday, scoring a dramatic late winner to secure a 1-0 victory over Portugal and book La Roja’s place in the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals for the first time since lifting the trophy in 2010.
With the round-of-16 clash at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, seemingly destined for extra time, Ferran Torres unlocked the Portuguese defence with a perfectly weighted through pass.
Merino raced onto the ball and calmly fired beyond goalkeeper Diogo Costa to settle the fiercely contested Iberian derby.
The decisive moment came after Merino had been brought down and a foul was awarded. As Portugal’s players protested the decision, Spain quickly restarted play.
Merino combined with Torres before making a forward run into the penalty area, where he finished clinically to break the deadlock.
Portugal mounted a late response and came close to finding an equaliser on two occasions, but Spain’s defence held firm to preserve the slender advantage and send Luis de la Fuente’s side into the last eight.
The defeat could mark Cristiano Ronaldo’s final appearance at a FIFA World Cup.
The Portugal captain, visibly emotional after the final whistle, was hoping to guide his country to back-to-back World Cup quarter-finals after reaching the same stage at the 2024 European Championship.
Instead, the all-time leading scorer in men’s international football exited the tournament in heartbreaking fashion.
Spain will now face the winner of Monday’s other round-of-16 encounter between Belgium and the United States in the quarter-finals at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
