ARLINGTON: Substitute Mikel Merino scored a dramatic late winner to put Spain in the quarter-finals with a 1-0 victory over Portugal and end Cristiano Ronaldo’s World Cup career on Monday.

The European champions will face Belgium on Friday in Los Angeles.

In front of an expectant crowd of 70,649 at the air-conditioned home of the Dallas Cowboys, a match that on paper promised so much failed to deliver.

Extra time looked certain, before fellow substitute Ferran Torres slipped in Merino to settle the contest in the first minute of injury time.

It meant a sour final World Cup match for the 41-year-old Ronaldo, who looked like he was choking back tears at the end.

Spain captain Rodri praised the “maturity” of his side.

“If anyone thinks that we will move forward without suffering, they are mistaken,” he said.

“We knew we had to wait for the right moment and it came, even if they also had chances to win the game,” added the Manchester City midfielder.

Heaping praise on match-winner Merino, who had only been on the pitch six minutes, Rodri said: “He’s a sensational player… one that I love.”

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente was satisfied with his performance.

“It was a fantastic match — a final played early — and, inevitably, we had to sweat it out until the very end,” de la Fuente said. “We put in a complete performance.”

Ronaldo, now playing in Saudi Arabia, confirmed on the eve of the encounter that this would be his last dance on football’s biggest stage.

One of the greatest players of all time has refused to say when he will end his international career and was ineffective here.

The neighbours came into the contest both unbeaten, but while Portugal had not been entirely convincing, Spain had not even conceded a goal in the tournament.

One of the pre-tournament favourites, they still haven’t.

For all their pedigree, talent and history, Spain have only lifted the World Cup once, in 2010, while Portugal’s best was third place in 1966.

In Ronaldo and Spain’s 18-year-old Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal, the last-16 showdown was touted as a showcase of two extraordinary talents at opposite ends of their careers.

In truth neither lived up to expectations on the day.

There was a sombre moment shortly before kickoff when a black-and-white image of the late Portugal forward Diogo Jota flashed up on the giant screen that looms over the field.

DECISION CAN WAIT

Ronaldo’s final game in the showpiece ended with a sting in the tail but he was unwilling to make a hasty call on his international future.

Ronaldo told reporters in the mixed zone that Spain enjoyed “a bit of luck” to score in the dying moments of a match he felt could have swung either way.

“I’m sad to be leaving the World Cup like this,” he said. “I gave it my all. I did my best and I’m leaving with a clear conscience. It was my last World Cup, yes, but I’ll now have time to reflect and be with my family. I won’t be making any rash decisions.”

The 41-year-old stopped short of confirming whether he had played his final game for Portugal, saying he did not want a personal decision to overshadow the team’s campaign.

“I don’t make decisions in the heat of the moment,” he said.

Ronaldo, who helped Portugal win the 2016 European Championship plus the Nations League in 2019 and 2025, said he was proud of his contribution to the national team.

“I’ve won three titles for Portugal; before Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal hadn’t won a single title,” he said.

“The biggest title the national team has ever won was in 2016, the European Championship, which, to be honest, is just as significant to me as a World Cup.”

Portugal’s exit also came with Roberto Martinez’s departure as manager, and Ronaldo offered warm words for the Spaniard.

“I loved working with him,” he said. “A great manager, a great human being, and what he’s done for Portugal is to be commended. I want to thank him and wish him every happiness…

“Its always sad to be knocked out of a major tournament. Its a World Cup. The team was really coming into its own. We played well, in my view. It could have gone either way, but thats football. We have to pick ourselves up and carry on.

“Its frustrating to go out like this, but we can hold our heads high,” added the Al-Nassr forward.

Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2026