Spain knock out Portugal, end Ronaldo’s World Cup dream

Spain edged Portugal 1–0 on Monday, July 6, to advance to the World Cup quarter-finals and bring an end to Cristiano Ronaldo’s pursuit of the one major trophy missing from his career, as per international sports media outlets.

Substitute Mikel Merino scored the decisive goal in the first minute of stoppage time, calmly finishing after meeting a through ball from a quickly taken free kick to seal victory in a largely subdued contest between the Iberian rivals at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

The win sends Spain, world champions in 2010, into a quarter-final clash against Belgium on Friday, July 10. Belgium secured their place earlier on Monday with a victory over the United States in Seattle.

Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, was unable to make a decisive impact in what marked the final World Cup appearance of his career. The former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward, who has endured a challenging campaign in the United States, was largely peripheral as Portugal managed just two shots on target compared with Spain’s six.

Ronaldo exits the tournament with several milestones. The match was his 233rd appearance for Portugal, extending his record at the international level. He also became the first player in history to score at six consecutive World Cups, spanning from 2006 to 2026. At this tournament, he scored three goals, including a brace against Uzbekistan and a penalty in the round of 16 against Croatia — his first goal in the knockout stages of a World Cup.

For Spain, this tournament marks their 17th World Cup appearance and their 13th consecutive qualification. It is also their first return to the quarter-finals since lifting the trophy in 2010.

Despite dominating possession, Spain struggled to break down a disciplined Portuguese defence for much of the match. The breakthrough finally came in stoppage time, when Merino capitalised on a moment of defensive disorganisation to slot home the winning goal past goalkeeper Diogo Costa.

By Tamilla Hasanova