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FWC: USA vs BEL live on SN ExtraRonaldo's World Cup ride over after late La Roja goal
AP •  July 7th, 2026 10:06 am
Cristiano Ronaldo's dreams of lifting the World Cup are over after losing the last-16 Iberian derby | Photo: EPA
Mikel Merino has scored in the first minute of second-half added time and Spain beat Portugal 1-0 to end the World Cup career of superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.
Merino had just been knocked down and a foul was called. While a Portugal player argued, he played the ball back in, ran towards goal and easily beat goalkeeper Diogo Costa after taking a pass from fellow substitute Ferran Torres.
Spain advanced to the quarter-finals for the first time since winning their only World Cup title in South Africa 16 years ago. La Roja will play either the United States or Belgium on Friday in Inglewood, California.
Substitute Mikel Merino's cool finish earned Spain progress to the quarter-finals | Photo: AP
Ronaldo was trying to get Portugal to the quarters in a second consecutive tournament for the first time. Instead, the career on soccer's biggest stage is over for the all-time leader in international goals (146) and appearances (233).
Merino didn't enter until the 85th minute on Monday (Tuesday NZ Time), and his heads-up play showed some of the versatility that helped Arsenal win their first Premier League title in more than 20 years in May. He had been doubtful to make Spain's squad because of injuries that also impacted his Premier League season.
The latest meeting of Iberian Peninsula rivals that first played in a friendly in Madrid 105 years ago was quite the contrast to their most recent World Cup match.
Spanish teen Lamine Yamal consoles Cristiano Ronaldo after full-time in Texas | Photo: EPA
It was eight years ago that Ronaldo had his only World Cup hat-trick in a 3-3 draw with Spain in a group stage opener in Russia that is considered one of the tournament's best games.
The 41-year-old superstar scored three times in this tournament, but didn't have many chances against Spain's Unai Simon, who extended his World Cup record to 609 minutes without conceding a goal.
In the process, Spain became the first team to record six straight shut-outs at the World Cup, breaking the tie with Italy (1990) and Switzerland (2006-10) - a streak which began in 2022.
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