In a just-concluded World Cup Round of 16 match on July 7, Spain defeated Portugal 1-0 with a last-gasp winner, advancing to the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 2010.
Right from the kick-off, Portugal launched attacks, pushing forward and winning multiple corner kicks. Spain were equally aggressive, seizing interception opportunities to counter-attack and attempting shots from outside the box, but to no avail. Spain then switched from defence to attack, creating several threats. After 45 minutes of back-and-forth action, the first half ended 0-0.
In the first half, Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo had two shots, both on target — making him the only Portuguese player to register a shot on goal in the half.
In the 55th minute, Portugal defender Nuno Mendes appeared to pick up an injury after a challenge on Yamal and was forced to leave the pitch. Portugal subsequently slowed their attacking tempo, dropping deeper and tightening their defensive line. This allowed Spain to take control of possession and launch multiple threatening attacks.
In the 91st minute, Mikel Merino (No. 6) received a pass inside the box, calmly fired into an open net, and scored — giving Spain a 1-0 lead over Portugal.
Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, ends his World Cup campaign with 27 appearances and 11 goals. Spain will face the winner of the USA vs. Belgium match in the quarter-finals.
Spain become the first team in World Cup history to keep six consecutive clean sheets:
- 1-0 vs Portugal
- 3-0 vs Austria
- 1-0 vs Uruguay
- 4-0 vs Saudi Arabia
- 0-0 vs Cape Verde
- 0-0 vs Morocco (lost on penalties) – previous World Cup
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