Mikel Merino struck in the first minute of second-half stoppage time to give Spain a 1-0 win over Portugal on Monday in Arlington, a late goal that likely brings Cristiano Ronaldo’s World Cup career to an end. After being fouled, Merino quickly restarted play, ran onto a pass from Ferran Torres and fired past goalkeeper Diogo Costa to decide the last-16 tie.
Merino had only been introduced in the 85th minute but showed the sharpness and versatility that helped Arsenal claim their first Premier League title in more than two decades in May. He had been doubtful for Spain’s squad because of recent injuries that also limited his club season.
The victory sends Spain into the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time since their 2010 title run in South Africa. La Roja will face either the United States or Belgium on Friday at Los Angeles Stadium.
For Portugal and Ronaldo, the defeat carries clear consequences. The 41-year-old scored three times at this tournament but created few clear chances against Spain and finished the match without goals. Ronaldo, the all-time leader in international goals (146) and appearances (233), had been seeking to take Portugal to back-to-back quarterfinals for the first time in their history; instead, his biggest-stage career now appears likely to be over.
Spain’s defence again proved decisive. The side notched a sixth consecutive World Cup clean sheet, extending goalkeeper Unai Simón’s record shutout streak to 609 minutes and breaking ties with Italy (1990) and Switzerland (2006–10) for the most consecutive World Cup games without conceding. Simón’s run-dating back to a 0-0 round-of-16 draw in 2022-surpassed the previous mark of 517 scoreless minutes and included a commanding 3-0 win over Austria to open the knockout phase.
Simón had made only four saves earlier in the tournament, but he was called into action in the first half against Portugal, turning away two efforts from Ronaldo, the second a remarkable diving stop grabbed behind him in midair. Spain created the better chances overall and looked likely to force extra time until Merino’s late intervention settled the contest.
The result ends a tense chapter between the Iberian rivals: eight years after Ronaldo’s only World Cup hat-trick in a 3-3 draw with Spain, this encounter delivered a far more restrained, defensive affair decided by a single, dramatic moment.
Original Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/7/6/late-spain-goal-eliminates-portugal-ends-ronaldos-international-career
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Publish Date: 2026-07-07 03:54:00
