Ronaldo's final World Cup: Spain beat Portugal 1-0 in 91st minute to reach FIFA World Cup 2026 quarterfinals

Mikel Merino came off the bench to score a 91st-minute winner as Spain eliminated Portugal 1-0 in the FIFA World Cup round of 16 on Monday, ending Cristiano Ronaldo's international tournament career in the process.

The match had looked destined for extra time when two Spain substitutes combined to break the deadlock. Ferran Torres received the ball from Rodri, controlled it and threaded a pass through to Merino, who had timed his run to stay onside and finished first time into the bottom corner past goalkeeper Diogo Costa.

"Mikel Merino never lets you down," Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said after the match. "He won us the Euros. He's a huge player; he's one of the best in the world in his position. We're lucky to have players on the bench who would be starters in any other national team."

Spain will face either the United States or Belgium in the quarterfinals in Los Angeles on Friday.

A tight, watchful contest

Neither side created much of note for long stretches. Mikel Oyarzabal missed a clear opening for Spain in the eighth minute, while Spain goalkeeper Unai Simón was called into action to deny Ronaldo twice in the first half. Costa also made a fingertip stop to keep out Álex Baena. Nuno Mendes struck the crossbar with a deflected effort in the 41st minute before going off injured after the hour mark.

From Oyarzabal's miss in the eighth minute until Merino's winner, neither side managed a shot worth more than 0.2 expected goals. The game appeared to be drifting toward extra time before Spain caught Portugal flat-footed with a quick restart following a foul, and Merino's composed finish settled the contest.

Ronaldo's World Cup ends without fanfare

Ronaldo had announced that the tournament would be his last World Cup before kick-off, and his final match offered little in the way of a fitting send-off. He managed only 19 touches across 90 minutes, 12 in the first half, his fewest ever in the opening half of a World Cup match, and just seven after the break, with none after the 80th minute.

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He attempted three shots and came closest in the 37th minute when Simón blocked a João Félix effort and then made a diving save to deny Ronaldo's rebound. Portugal generated just 0.58 expected goals from 10 attempts across the match.

Portugal coach Roberto Martinez kept striker Gonçalo Ramos on the bench throughout despite the forward's match-winning contribution against Croatia. Explaining his decision, Martinez said: "When you're a team and you need a goal, you can't take Cristiano Ronaldo off. He's a presence, he opens space, a dead-ball situation, anything in the box, it would make no sense."

Portugal were eliminated having scored only two goals in Ronaldo's 351 minutes of play across matches against sides that reached the knockout rounds.

Spain's defence remains unblemished

Spain recorded their fifth clean sheet in five matches at this World Cup. Simón, centre backs Pau Cubarsí and Aymeric Laporte, and the rest of the defensive unit have yet to concede a goal in the tournament, maintaining a goal differential bettered only by France among the remaining contenders. Spain now advances to the last eight with a 100% defensive record intact.