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Sub Mikel Merino scored in stoppage time to help Spain beat Portugal 1-0 in the last 16.
Published on 6 Jul 2026
Mikel Merino scored in the first minute of the second half, and Spain beat Portugal 1-0 on Monday to potentially end superstar Cristiano Ronaldo’s World Cup career.
After being fouled, Merino quickly took the free kick, sprinting towards goal and firing past goalkeeper Diogo Costa after Ferran Torres’ pass.
Spain advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time since winning their only World Cup trophy in 2010 in South Africa. La Roja will play either the USA or Belgium on Friday at the Los Angeles Stadium.
Ronaldo was trying to get Portugal to the quarterfinals for the second tournament in a row – a feat the country had never done before. In fact, his performance on the big stage is possible for the all-time leader in international goals (146) and appearances (233).
Merino didn’t come on until the 85th minute, and his leading game showed some of the changes that helped Arsenal win their first Premier League title in more than 20 years in May. He was doubtful to make the Spain squad due to injuries, which also affected his Premier League season.
The recent meeting of the players from the Iberian Peninsula – who played for the first time in Madrid 105 years ago – was very different from their recent World Cup matches.
It was eight years ago that Ronaldo had his only World Cup hat-trick in a 3-3 draw with Spain, a group opener that was regarded as one of the best games of the tournament.
The 41-year-old champion scored three goals in the tournament, but didn’t have much of a chance against Spain’s Unai Simon.
La Roja created the better chances, but extra time and penalties lasted until Merino’s late intervention.
Spain broke the World Cup record with its sixth consecutive shutout, and goalkeeper Simon extended his record for a shutout to 609 minutes.
Spain broke its streak with Italy (1990) and Switzerland (2006-10) for consecutive World Cup appearances without conceding a goal. Spain’s victory began with a 0-0 draw in the 2022 round of 16, while Morocco advanced after a penalty shootout.
There was also a stunning goalless draw against Cape Verde to open group play in the tournament, followed by four consecutive victories to reach the quarterfinals.
Simon broke the previous record of 517 consecutive minutes as Austria shut out 3-0 to open the tournament on Thursday. The famous Italian goalkeeper Walter Zenga set the standard in 1990 with five consecutive clean sheets in his home World Cup.
Simon’s ban began in 2022 in Qatar, where Japan lost 2-1 to end the group stage.
He came to the Portugal game having made only four saves in this World Cup – Austria had no shots on target – and on Monday in Arlington, Simon had to save two in the first half against Portugal, both from shots by Cristiano Ronaldo.
The second of those saves was a spectacular stop in the air when he came back to catch the ball with both hands.
