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Mikel Merino sealed the Iberian clash in the 90th minute, giving Spain a 0-1 victory over Portugal this Monday at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas, in the round of 16 of the .
The goal came with an assist from Ferrán Torres, who had entered the field in the 75th minute, replacing Alejandro Baena. Merino, who had just stepped onto the pitch in the 85th minute in place of Daniel Olmo, emerged at the crucial moment to score the only goal of the match.
During the first 89 minutes, Portugal held their ground in an organized manner, and the score remained goalless despite Spanish dominance. Luis de la Fuente's team controlled the ball with 56% possession compared to Portugal's 44%, took 15 shots compared to nine from the Portuguese, and had six attempts on goal against just two from their opponents.
The corners also reflected Spain's superiority: seven to three. However, Portugal held on until the clock showed the added time.
In the final minutes, the tension escalated for the Portuguese team. Bernardo Silva received a yellow card in the 89th minute, and Renato Veiga was cautioned in the 90th, just as Merino's goal had already been scored. Spain finished the match without any cautions.
The encounter carried a special emotional weight as it was Cristiano Ronaldo's last World Cup match. The 41-year-old Portuguese star had confirmed the day before that the 2026 World Cup would mark his farewell to the competition: "This will be my last World Cup, but let's hope that tomorrow is not my last match!" he stated on Saturday.
Ronaldo concluded his participation in the tournament with three goals, including a brace against Uzbekistan on June 23, which made him the first player to score in six different World Cups. At the final whistle, cameras captured the embrace between the veteran forward and Lamine Yamal, an image that quickly circulated on social media as a symbol of generational change.
Portugal had reached this round as the second in Group K with five points and had eliminated Croatia 2-1 in the Round of 16 with a goal from Gonçalo Ramos in stoppage time. Spain, for its part, had just thrashed Austria 3-0 in the same round on July 2nd.
With the victory, Spain advances to the quarter-finals, where the winner of the match between United States and Belgium awaits.
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