Merino’s Stoppage-Time Strike Ends Ronaldo’s World Cup Career as Spain Edge Portugal 1-0
Mikel Merino had been on the bench with five minutes of normal time remaining. Spain coach Luis de la Fuente was saving his substitutes, bracing for the possibility of extra time. Eight minutes later, the Arsenal forward had rendered all of that calculation unnecessary.
Merino scored in the first minute of second-half stoppage time to give Spain a 1-0 victory over Portugal in the round of 16 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Monday — ending Cristiano Ronaldo’s World Cup career in the process and sending La Roja to the quarterfinals for the first time since they won the tournament in 2010.
The goal came from a moment of quick thinking after Merino was fouled near the edge of the area. While Portugal’s Bernardo Silva argued with the referee, Merino played the ball back into play, made a run toward goal, and finished with his left foot into the left corner of the net after a slick passing sequence ended with Ferran Torres threading a ball through the middle. Merino emerged from a pile of celebrating teammates, ran to the corner flag, and let out a guttural scream with both fists clenched — a celebration he first used after scoring a late winner against Germany at Euro 2024, and one he inherited from watching his father celebrate during his own playing career.
“What better way to celebrate,” Merino said afterward. “You remember all the good and the bad, and there have been difficult moments for me this year.”
A tournament in doubt that became a defining moment
The goal was Merino’s first at a World Cup and his eleventh for the Spanish national team. It very nearly never happened. The 30-year-old had undergone right foot surgery earlier this year that cut short his club season — the same season in which he helped Arsenal win their first Premier League title in more than two decades. He only entered the pitch in the 85th minute on Monday.
“He’s one of the best in his position worldwide, and he has given us a fantastic result and a fantastic goal,” De la Fuente said. “I want to express the importance of substitutes. Not just today, but their contribution in other games has been enormous.”
Spain’s defensive performance was equally remarkable. Goalkeeper Unai Simón extended his World Cup record to 609 consecutive minutes without conceding, and Spain became the first team in World Cup history to record six straight clean sheets at a single tournament.
Ronaldo’s best opportunity came in the 37th minute — a clever backwards flick from a deflected header that looped into the air — but the ball had just enough height for Simón to recover and make a leaping save. It summed up an afternoon in which Portugal’s all-time record scorer, now 41, found little space or service against a disciplined Spanish backline.
The end of Ronaldo’s World Cup story
Ronaldo had confirmed the day before the match that this sixth World Cup appearance would be his last. He scored three times in the tournament, taking his international goals tally to 146 across 233 appearances — records that are unlikely to be broken. But the quarterfinals in a second consecutive tournament, the milestone he was chasing, will remain out of reach.
“I’ll wake up tomorrow like I woke up today, with a clear conscience,” Ronaldo said. “I gave my best. I won three titles with Portugal. Before me, Portugal hadn’t won any title. The biggest title I won with the national team was the 2016 European Championship, which for me had the same dimension as a World Cup.”
Portugal pushed desperately for an equaliser through eight minutes of added time at the end. Silva came closest with a header that cleared the crossbar. It was not enough.
What comes next for Spain
Spain, now on a 35-game unbeaten run, will face Belgium in the quarterfinals on Friday in Inglewood, California. Belgium reached the last eight with a 4-1 win over the United States — a result that set up a rematch of sorts, with Spain having beaten Belgium in previous tournament encounters.
De la Fuente called the Spain-Portugal tie “an anticipated final” and acknowledged his side had to suffer until the very end. In the end, they did not have to suffer quite as long as they feared — because a substitute who almost missed the tournament entirely had other ideas.
