---
title: "Spain Beat Portugal on a Late Merino Goal to Reach the World Cup Quarterfinals"
description: "Mikel Merino struck in stoppage time to give Spain a 1-0 win over Portugal in the World Cup's round of 16, sending Spain into their first quarterfinal since they won the tournament in 2010 and ending the World Cup of Portugal's 41-year-old captain, Cristiano Ronaldo."
category: "Sports"
category_url: https://newsparlor.com/category/sports
author: "Lucas Silva"
published: 2026-07-06T22:22:00.000Z
updated: 2026-07-06T22:22:00.000Z
canonical: https://newsparlor.com/article/spain-beat-portugal-on-a-late-merino-goal-to-reach-the-world-cup-quarterfinals
tags: ["world-cup-2026", "spain", "portugal", "merino", "ronaldo"]
---
# Spain Beat Portugal on a Late Merino Goal to Reach the World Cup Quarterfinals

Mikel Merino struck in stoppage time to give Spain a 1-0 win over Portugal in the World Cup's round of 16, sending Spain into their first quarterfinal since they won the tournament in 2010 and ending the World Cup of Portugal's 41-year-old captain, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Spain needed almost the whole match to break down Portugal, and got there at the very end. Mikel Merino, on as a substitute, scored deep in stoppage time to settle a tense round-of-16 tie 1-0 on Monday, sending Spain through to the World Cup quarterfinals and knocking out a Portugal side built around Cristiano Ronaldo.

## A goal at the death

For 90 minutes the game stayed locked at 0-0, Spain patient in possession and Portugal well organized in defense. The breakthrough came in stoppage time, when Merino arrived in the box to finish and spark Spanish celebrations, [ESPN reported](https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/49288829/spain-beat-portugal-world-cup-quarters-2010). It was the kind of late, single-goal margin that has defined many of Spain's biggest knockout wins.

## Back among the last eight

The victory took Spain into their first World Cup quarterfinal since 2010, the year they won the trophy in South Africa, [as France 24 reported](https://www.france24.com/en/sport/20260706-world-cup-2026-spain-edge-portugal-with-late-merino-goal-to-reach-quarter-finals). In the tournaments since, Spain had repeatedly fallen earlier, and this run marks a return to the latter stages for one of the game's traditional powers.

## Ronaldo bows out

For Portugal, the defeat brought the curtain down on another World Cup campaign and, most likely, on Ronaldo's long World Cup story, [CBS News reported](https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/spain-eliminates-cristiano-ronaldo-reaches-world-cup-quarterfinals/). At 41, one of the game's most decorated forwards left the field beaten, unable to conjure the goal that might have extended Portugal's stay.

## What comes next

Spain move on to face the winner of the United States against Belgium in the quarterfinals. Having ground out a result against a strong opponent without conceding, they will fancy their chances of going deeper, though the manner of Monday's win, decided by a single moment after a long stalemate, was a reminder of how fine the margins are at this stage of a World Cup.

## Sources

- [Spain beat Portugal, reach 1st World Cup quarters since 2010](https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/49288829/spain-beat-portugal-world-cup-quarters-2010)
- [Spain eliminates Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal, reaches 2026 World Cup quarterfinals](https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/spain-eliminates-cristiano-ronaldo-reaches-world-cup-quarterfinals/)
- [World Cup 2026: Spain edge Portugal with late Merino goal to reach quarter-finals](https://www.france24.com/en/sport/20260706-world-cup-2026-spain-edge-portugal-with-late-merino-goal-to-reach-quarter-finals)