Portugal 0-1 Spain: Mikel Merino scores the dramatic stoppage-time winner to ensure Luis de la Fuente’s side progress to the World Cup quarter-finals.
Cristiano Ronaldo was heartbroken after Portugal’s late loss to Spain (Image: Alex Slitz)
Cristiano Ronaldo’s dreams of winning the World Cup ended when Spain’s Mikel Merino broke Portugal’s hearts by scoring in the embers in their Round of 16 match.
All eyes were on Ronaldo and the Portugal national team in Texas after the 41-year-old multiple Ballon d’Or winner admitted this would be his last appearance in the World Cup finals.
And Ronaldo’s final attempt at world domination ended with a whimper rather than a bang, as Portugal lost to Spain in the closing stages in a game that won’t linger long in the memory.
Merino set up a frenetic finale with a deft finish in the dying seconds as Portugal desperately tried to find the goal that would keep their World Cup dreams alive.
But the last few minutes were a stark contrast to the previous hour and a half.
It felt like it took more than the stipulated 90 minutes to come to a conclusion, over an hour.
Spain enjoyed their share of possession and opportunities but were unable to convert them into goals, while Portugal’s Nuno Mendes’ fierce shot from an angle in the penalty area bounced off his white shirt and rattled the crossbar.
Spain teed it up in an attempt to settle things in peacetime, but Portugal’s brave defense stopped Dani Olmo from breaking the deadlock late in the day.
And it was Merino who appeared in the 91st minute to eliminate Portugal and Ronaldo. It certainly wasn’t the type of performance that supporters are used to in Spain – they definitely got into the fight and fought for the win.
Mikel Merino celebrates the winning goal against Portugal (Image: Getty Images)
That’s exactly what they did, and when the moment came for them to get clinical, they were. As he has done many times for Arsenal over the past few seasons, Merino found space and produced a superb finish to lead his country into the quarter-finals.
Oddly enough, this is a huge improvement over recent campaigns. Since winning the World Cup in 2010, Spain has not made it past the round of 16 and was even eliminated in the group stage at Brazil.
And while they haven’t exactly secured their place in the last eight, many of the Spaniards’ persuasion are not that concerned.
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