Spain knocked out Portugal 1-0 in the World Cup Round of 16 at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Substitute Mikel Merino netted the winning goal during stoppage time in the second half. This result marked the end of Cristiano Ronaldo's last World Cup and propelled Spain into the quarter-finals, where they'll face the winner of the USA vs Belgium match.

The European derby between Portugal and Spain was decided in injury time, just when everyone was bracing for extra time. But then, something unexpected happened. Roberto Martinez made some smart substitutions, and in the 91st minute, the two fresh players, Ferran Torres and Mikel Merino, teamed up to deliver a gift that sent Spain straight to the quarter-finals. Unai Simon, the goalkeeper, had no chance as he faced the Arsenal striker one-on-one and had to concede.

The Portuguese captain played the entire 90 minutes. In sum, Cristiano, 41-year-old, ended his remarkable tournament journey in tears after Spain scored that crucial goal in stoppage time. CR7, visibly emotional, walked to the center of the field to acknowledge the crowd's tribute before leaving in tears. His World Cup adventure came to a close tonight. We can only express our gratitude for Cristiano Ronaldo. He is an incredible athlete and has shown us what can be achieved with hard work and dedication.

The match features two Serie A players from Portugal: Juventus striker Francisco Conceição came on in the 83rd minute to take the place of Pedro Neto, while AC Milan forward Rafael Leão substituted João Félix in the 71st minute. Conversely, no Serie A players in the Spanish team.

Previously, the last encounter between these Iberian rivals took place in the UEFA Nations League final last year, where Portugal triumphed in a penalty shootout. Historically, Spain holds the advantage in their head-to-head record.  They boast 17 victories over Portugal's 6, along with 18 matches ending in a draw.

 

 

FIFA Ranking

Spain is currently in the lead, holding the 1st spot in the FIFA Men's World Rankings. Meanwhile, Portugal is also doing well, positioned at 3rd place globally.

 

How did they make it to the Round of 16?

Spain finished at the top of Group H with 7 points, staying unbeaten throughout. They kicked off with a 0-0 draw against Cabo Verde.  Then, they secured a 4-0 win against Saudi Arabia, and wrapped up the group stage with a 1-0 win over Uruguay. In the Round of 32, they progressed with a commanding 3-0 victory over Austria in Los Angeles.

Portugal finished in second place in Group K, accumulating 5 points. Their journey featured a 1-1 draw with DR Congo, an impressive 5-0 win against Uzbekistan, and a 0-0 stalemate with Colombia.  In the Round of 32, they advanced to the Round of 16 after a thrilling 2-1 win over Croatia in Toronto.

 

👉   Click here for  Full 2026 World Cup Squad Lists – Confirmed rosters for all 48 teams.

👉  Click here for  2026 World Cup Group Stage Standings.

 

👉   Serie A players called up for     🇵🇹     the Portugal National team:

• Juventus forward Francisco  Conceição


• AC Milan forward Rafael Leão

👉   No Serie A players in the Spain National team

 

🇵🇹   Portugal 0 - 1 Spain  🇪🇸

Unbelievable! In the 91st minute, Rete di Merino scores the winning goal for Spain. Just when it looked like we were heading for extra time, Ferran Torres, who believed the most, sets up Merino perfectly. One-on-one with Unai Simon, he slots it in with his left foot at the near post. The crowd at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas goes wild. Only 300 seconds stand between them and a spot in the quarter-finals. Unfortunately, this also marks the 'last dance' for the legendary Portuguese Captain Cristiano Ronaldo.



 



 



 

   Portugal World Cup 2026 Squad:

• Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (FC Porto), Jose Sa (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Rui Silva (Sporting CP); Ricardo Velho (Gençlerbirliği Ankara).


• Defenders: Diogo Dalot (Manchester United); Matheus Nunes (Manchester City), Nelson Semedo (Fenerbahce SK), Joao Cancelo (FC Barcelona), Nuno Mendes (PSG), Gonçalo Inacio (Sporting CP), Renato Veiga (Villarreal); Ruben Dias (Manchester City), Tomas Araujo (SL Benfica).


• Midfielders:  Ruben Neves (Al Hilal), Samuel Costa (Mallorca), Joao Neves (PSG), Vitinha (PSG), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City).


• Forwards: Joao Félix (Al Nassr), Francisco Trincao (Sporting CP), Francisco Conceicao (Juventus), Pedro Neto (Chelsea), Rafael Leao (AC Milan), Gonçalo Guedes (Real Sociedad), Gonçalo Ramos (PSG); Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr).

 

   Spain World Cup Squad:

• Goalkeepers: Unai Simon (Athletic Bilbao), David Raya (Arsenal), Joan Garcia (Barcelona).


• Defenders: Marc Cucurella (Chelsea), Alejandro Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen), Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona), Aymeric Laporte (Athletic Bilbao), Marc Pubill (Atletico Madrid), Eric Garcia (Barcelona), Marcos Llorente (Atletico Madrid), Pedro Porro (Tottenham Hotspur).


• Midfielders: Pedri (Barcelona), Fabian Ruiz (PSG), Martin Zubimendi (Arsenal), Gavi (Barcelona), Rodri (Manchester City), Alex Baena (Atletico Madrid), Mikel Merino (Spain).


• Forwards: Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Dani Olmo (Barcelona), Nico Williams (Athletic Bilbao), Yeremy Pino (Crystal Palace), Ferran Torres (Barcelona), Borja Iglesias (Celta de Vigo), Víctor Muñoz (Osasuna), Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)

 



 

 



 

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World Cup Round of 16

🇵🇹   Portugal 0 - 1 Spain  🇪🇸

Date: Today, Monday, July 6, 2026
Kick-off: 3:00 PM EDT / 12:00 PM PDT
Venue: AT&T Stadium (often referred to as Dallas Stadium during the World Cup)
Location: Arlington, Texas, USA

Referee: Anthony Taylor ENG.
Assistant Referee 1: Gary Beswick ENG.
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Nunn ENG.
Fourth Official: Felix Zwayer GER.
Reserve AR: Robert Kempter GER.
Video Assistant Referee: Bastian Dankert GER.
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1 : Antonio Garcia URU.
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2 : Marco Di Bello ITA.

⚽️   Goals:

🟨   Yellow Cards:

✅    Official lineups - Tabellino:



Click the video to watch Portugal 0 - 1 Spain highlights on Monday, 6 July 2026.