Date: July 6, 2026 l By Kimberly White
Spain booked a place in the quarterfinals of the FIFA World Cup after a dramatic late goal sealed a 1-0 victory over Portugal on Monday, ending Cristiano Ronaldo’s World Cup career and sending La Roja into the last eight for the first time since their title-winning run in 2010.
The decisive moment came in the first minute of second-half stoppage time when Mikel Merino struck after a quickly taken play caught Portugal off guard. Merino had just been brought down and won a foul, but while Portuguese players protested, he restarted play, surged into the box and finished from a pass by Ferran Torres, beating goalkeeper Diogo Costa to hand Spain a dramatic victory.
The win sends Spain into the quarterfinals, where they will face either the United States or Belgium on Friday in Inglewood, California. It also marks Spain’s first appearance in the final eight of the tournament since lifting the World Cup trophy in South Africa in 2010.
For Portugal, the defeat brought an emotional end to Cristiano Ronaldo’s World Cup journey. The 41-year-old forward, already regarded as one of the greatest players in football history, had entered the match hoping to guide Portugal to back-to-back World Cup quarterfinal appearances for the first time. Instead, his final outing on the global stage ended in heartbreak.
Ronaldo leaves the tournament and the World Cup stage with an extraordinary legacy. He remains the all-time leader in international goals with 146 and international appearances with 233, records that underline his longevity and influence in the sport. Although he scored three times during this tournament, he found few openings against a disciplined Spanish side.
Spain’s defence once again proved decisive. Goalkeeper Unai Simón extended his World Cup shutout streak to 609 minutes without conceding a goal, setting another milestone in a tournament that has showcased Spain’s defensive strength. With Monday’s result, Spain also became the first team to record six consecutive clean sheets in World Cup history.
Merino’s late intervention capped an impressive cameo appearance. He had only entered the game in the 85th minute, but his alertness and composure in stoppage time delivered one of the tournament’s most dramatic moments. His performance also highlighted the quality Spain has in reserve, with Merino having already drawn praise for the versatility that helped Arsenal secure its first Premier League title in more than two decades earlier this year.
The encounter carried added significance given the long rivalry between the two Iberian neighbours. Spain and Portugal first met more than a century ago, and their World Cup clashes have often produced memorable moments. Their most famous recent showdown came eight years ago, when Ronaldo scored a stunning hat trick in a thrilling 3-3 draw in the group stage — a match still regarded as one of the best in modern World Cup history.
This latest meeting, however, was far more cagey and tactical, with Spain controlling key phases and Portugal struggling to break through. In the end, the match was settled by a moment of sharp thinking and quick execution from Merino, rather than the kind of open, end-to-end drama that defined their previous tournament clash.
For Spain, the victory reinforces their credentials as one of the most balanced teams left in the tournament, combining defensive resilience with the patience to seize a decisive moment. For Portugal and Ronaldo, it was a painful conclusion to a World Cup campaign that carried the hope of one last deep run for one of football’s most iconic figures.
As the final whistle blew, Spain celebrated a hard-fought step forward in its quest for another world title, while Portugal was left to absorb the end of an era. Ronaldo’s remarkable World Cup story has now closed, and Spain marches on with renewed belief after one of the most dramatic finishes of the knockout stage.