---
title: "Merino's late goal sends Spain past Portugal and into the quarterfinals"
description: "Mikel Merino struck in the 90th minute to lift Spain past Portugal 1-0 in Arlington, Texas, on Monday, carrying La Roja into the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time since it won the tournament in 2010 and bringing a bitter end to what Cristiano Ronaldo has said will be his final World Cup."
category: "Sports"
category_url: https://herald.la/category/sports
author: "Hana Nakamura"
published: 2026-07-06T22:52:00.000Z
updated: 2026-07-06T22:52:00.000Z
canonical: https://herald.la/article/merino-s-late-goal-sends-spain-past-portugal-and-into-the-quarterfinals
tags: ["world-cup", "spain", "portugal", "mikel-merino", "cristiano-ronaldo"]
---
# Merino's late goal sends Spain past Portugal and into the quarterfinals

Mikel Merino struck in the 90th minute to lift Spain past Portugal 1-0 in Arlington, Texas, on Monday, carrying La Roja into the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time since it won the tournament in 2010 and bringing a bitter end to what Cristiano Ronaldo has said will be his final World Cup.

An Iberian round-of-16 tie that had crept toward extra time turned on a single moment. Substitute Mikel Merino pounced in the 90th minute to give Spain a 1-0 win over Portugal in Arlington, Texas, on Monday and send it into the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time in 16 years, [ESPN reported](https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/49288829/spain-beat-portugal-world-cup-quarters-2010).

## One moment decides it

For much of the night the neighbors canceled each other out, two well-matched sides trading possession without a decisive opening. Then Merino, on from the bench, found space in the box and finished to break the deadlock late in regulation, sparing Spain the lottery of extra time.

It was the kind of intervention Spain has come to expect from him. "Mikel Merino never lets you down. He's a sure thing. He won us the Euros," coach Luis de la Fuente said of the midfielder, according to [ESPN](https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/49288829/spain-beat-portugal-world-cup-quarters-2010).

## A goalkeeper's record night

Behind the winner stood a defense that has become the tournament's meanest. Goalkeeper Unai Simón kept his sixth straight clean sheet at the World Cup, a Spanish record, and stretched his shutout streak to 609 consecutive minutes, passing the previous World Cup mark of 517, [ESPN reported](https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/49288829/spain-beat-portugal-world-cup-quarters-2010). Portugal pressed and probed but could not find a way through.

## The end of an era for Ronaldo

For Portugal, and for Cristiano Ronaldo, the defeat closed a chapter. The 41-year-old, who said ahead of the match that 2026 would be his last World Cup, was visibly upset after the final whistle, his long tournament career ending against the country next door. He had chances to change the game but could not convert them, and Portugal leaves the tournament in the round of 16.

## What comes next

Spain's reward is a place in the last eight, its deepest World Cup run since the 2010 side lifted the trophy in South Africa. La Roja will next face the winner of Monday's round-of-16 match between Belgium and the United States, with the quarterfinal set for SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, [ESPN reported](https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/49288829/spain-beat-portugal-world-cup-quarters-2010). For a team that has spent a decade searching for the old certainty, a late goal and a clean sheet were a reminder of how the 2010 champions used to win: patiently, and then all at once.