Spain left it until the very last moments, but Mikel Merino became the hero with a dramatic stoppage-time winner to fire La Roja into the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals, knocking out Portugal and bringing an emotional end to Cristiano Ronaldo’s legendary World Cup journey.
Introduced from the bench, Merino made an instant impact in the 91st minute. After Spain struggled to break down Portugal for much of the second half, Ferran Torres delivered the perfect through ball for the Arsenal midfielder, who calmly slotted a low finish beyond goalkeeper Diogo Costa to seal a thrilling 1-0 victory in Dallas.
The result echoes Spain’s famous 1-0 triumph over Portugal at the same stage of the 2010 World Cup and books their place in the quarter-finals, where they’ll face either the co-hosts, the United States, or Belgium in Los Angeles on Friday, 10 July.
For Portugal, the defeat marks the end of an unforgettable era. At 41, Cristiano Ronaldo bows out of the World Cup after confirming this tournament would be his last, closing the curtain on one of football’s greatest international careers.
Spain march on. Ronaldo says goodbye. And Mikel Merino delivers a moment World Cup fans won’t forget anytime soon.