Spain Beat Portugal 1-0 to Reach the World Cup Quarterfinals

7 Jul 2026

Spain's national team has reached the World Cup quarterfinals. On Monday, July 6, in Dallas, Luis de la Fuente's side beat Portugal 1-0 in the round of 16. The only goal, in the 90th minute, was scored by substitute Mikel Merino. For Cristiano Ronaldo, this World Cup was the last of his career.

Regulation time ended 0-0, and everything was heading toward 30 minutes of extra time. The referee added six minutes of stoppage time, and in the very first seconds of it, Spain scored: Ferran Torres played a pass into the box for Mikel Merino, who sent the ball into the corner of the net with his left foot — 1-0. Both the passer and the scorer had come on as substitutes shortly before.

code]<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Mikel Merino winning goal in Portugal vs Spain FIFA World Cup Round of 16 game <a href="https://t.co/3OFHS2iF2D">pic.twitter.com/3OFHS2iF2D</a></p>— Daily Foot Vibes (@dailyfootvibes) <a href="https://x.com/dailyfootvibes/status/2074239391401410780?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 6, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>[/code]

The very fact that Merino is playing in this tournament is almost a miracle. Before the World Cup, the Arsenal midfielder was recovering from a rare right-foot injury.

The match was even and cautious: both teams knew the loser would be out of the tournament. Portugal had more possession, but Spain's attacks were more dangerous. Oyarzabal missed the best chance of the first half, going one-on-one with the goalkeeper but shooting wide. Lamine Yamal also came close to scoring twice. Portugal's goalkeeper Diogo Costa dealt with his shots and also saved a powerful strike from Baena aimed at the top corner.

code]<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Two sides of football...<br><br>Spanish joy vs. Portuguese pain as Merino scores WINNER 🇪🇸🇵🇹 <a href="https://t.co/kcUlVO4bpi">pic.twitter.com/kcUlVO4bpi</a></p>— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) <a href="https://x.com/ESPNUK/status/2074253317085986920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 6, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>[/code]

Portugal could have scored before halftime. Spain's goalkeeper Unai Simón saved two shots — from João Félix and Cristiano Ronaldo — and another shot, from Nuno Mendes, hit the crossbar. In the second half, that same Mendes, who had contained Lamine Yamal all match, got injured and left the field. After that, Spain pinned their opponents back for a long stretch, but couldn't find the breakthrough until the very end.

For Portugal, this defeat marks the end of an era. Cristiano Ronaldo played his final World Cup match and couldn't hold back tears after the final whistle. Lamine Yamal came over to embrace the player.

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the most decorated footballers in history, having won more than 35 major trophies at club and international level, including 5 Champions League titles and a European Championship win. The 41-year-old was playing in his sixth World Cup. Over his entire career, he never managed to win the tournament.

Португалия могла забить перед перерывом. Вратарь Испании Унаи Симон отбил два удара — Жоау Феликса и Криштиану Роналду, а еще один мяч после выстрела Нуну Мендеша попал в перекладину. Во втором тайме тот же Мендеш, весь матч сдерживавший Ламина Ямаля, получил травму и покинул поле. После этого Испания надолго прижала соперника к воротам, но счет до самой концовки так и не открыла.

Для Португалии это поражение — конец эпохи. Криштиану Роналду сыграл свой последний матч на чемпионатах мира и не сдержал слез после финального свистка. Ламин Ямаль подошел, чтобы обнять футболиста.

History repeated itself 16 years on. In 2010 in Cape Town, Spain also beat Portugal at this same stage and with the same 1-0 scoreline — David Villa scored that time, and that win became the first step toward the title, still the only one in the country's history. Now the national team is fighting for a second.

In the quarterfinals, Spain will play Belgium, which thrashed tournament hosts the United States 4-1. The match will take place on Friday, July 10, at 9:00 p.m. Spanish time, at the stadium in Inglewood (Los Angeles, California).