Spain 1-0 Portugal: Merino sends La Roja to the quarters
QuiniPrats editorial team
6 min read
Published on 7 July 2026
A stoppage-time goal from Mikel Merino knocks out Portugal, sends Spain to the World Cup 2026 quarterfinals and closes, almost certainly, Cristiano Ronaldo's last World Cup.
<strong>Spain 1-0 Portugal</strong> in the World Cup 2026 round of 16 wasn't settled by flair, but by one detail: Mikel Merino's injury-time winner. His goal sends La Roja to the World Cup 2026 quarterfinals and, in all likelihood, brings the curtain down on Cristiano Ronaldo's last World Cup. On Monday, July 6, 2026, at Dallas Stadium (AT&T Stadium), two European heavyweights cancelled each other out for ninety minutes until a substitute changed everything.
This was the match circled in red on the calendar: a rematch of the 2025 UEFA Nations League final and part two of the generational "Yamal vs Ronaldo" storyline. In the end, though, the hero was neither of the two headline names.
A tight duel that needed an unlikely hero
For most of the contest, Spain and Portugal sized each other up with caution. Few clear chances, plenty of tension, and the feeling that the first mistake could be decisive. Luis de la Fuente's side controlled the ball but ran into a well-organized Portuguese block, and Diogo Costa had barely been forced into a meaningful save.
The 85th minute brought the twist. De la Fuente sent on <strong>Mikel Merino</strong>, a Premier League champion with Arsenal, looking for fresh legs in midfield. Six minutes later, deep into stoppage time, came the moment that decided it all.
Merino's goal: the detail that tips the balance
In the first move of injury time, fellow substitute <strong>Ferran Torres</strong> read the space behind the Portuguese defense and slipped a pass through. Merino timed his run perfectly and, without rushing, drilled it low and hard past Diogo Costa. 1-0. Dallas Stadium fell for a script no one had written yet everyone had sensed in a tie this evenly matched.
Why was Merino's goal so decisive? Because it arrived in stoppage time of a goalless game, leaving Portugal no time to respond. In a knockout tie, a goal that late doesn't just seal qualification, it also blows up the opponent's entire game plan.
Cristiano Ronaldo's World Cup farewell
On the other side stood an image hard to forget: <strong>Cristiano Ronaldo</strong>, 41, walking off a World Cup stage for the last time. The forward, who had confirmed on the eve of the game that this would be his final tournament appearance, ends the 2026 World Cup with 3 goals: a brace against Uzbekistan and a penalty against Croatia.
It wasn't the night he dreamed of. In such a cagey game, Portugal could barely feed their talisman, and the match slipped away in the final breath. It is, almost certainly, the closing chapter of one of the longest and most decorated careers the game has ever seen.
Merino comes off the bench and settles a high-stakes knockout tie. That is the squad depth that separates Spain from the rest of the contenders.— — quiniPrats analysis
Spain in the quarterfinals: what comes next
With this win, Spain reach the World Cup 2026 quarterfinals. They had earlier beaten Austria 3-0 in the round of 32, and now stay among the strongest title contenders, boasting a solid core and squad depth that lets them win games from the bench.
- Spain 1-0 Portugal: Merino's stoppage-time goal in the round of 16.
- Assist from Ferran Torres, also a substitute, on a run in behind the defense.
- Portugal eliminated; Cristiano Ronaldo ends his World Cup with 3 goals.
- In the quarterfinals (July 9-11), Spain face Belgium, who thrashed the USA 4-1.
Who do Spain play in the World Cup 2026 quarterfinals? Belgium, who eliminated co-hosts the United States with an emphatic 4-1 in the round of 16. The quarterfinals are played between July 9 and 11, 2026.
Belgium in the quarterfinals: a very different test
If breaking down a wall was the problem against Portugal, Belgium pose a different challenge. The Belgians reached the quarters with a rout that showed real cutting edge and speed on the counter; Spain will need to manage the spaces better and, above all, use possession to keep them from running. The good news for De la Fuente is that beating Portugal proves this team can dig in and win without needing to shine.
There is also a wider story unfolding here. Spain last reached a World Cup quarterfinal on their way to lifting the trophy in South Africa in 2010, and this generation, led by Lamine Yamal and backed by a deep, experienced squad, clearly believes it can go all the way again. Beating a Portugal side built around Cristiano Ronaldo, in a match this fraught, is exactly the kind of test that hardens a genuine contender for the second half of the tournament.
And if you want to live the quarterfinals with even more at stake, now is the perfect time to set up a prediction pool with friends: forecast Spain vs Belgium and the rest of the ties, compete with your group, and turn every stoppage-time goal into a little battle inside your private league. No pressure, just for the fun of it while you watch the football.
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