Match report
Merino's stoppage-time strike sends Spain past Portugal in last 16
Spain edged Portugal 1-0 in the World Cup Round of 16 after a stoppage-time winner settled a contest that had remained goalless through 90 minutes. Mikel Merino struck in the first minute of added time, converting a chance created by Ferran Torres to send Luis de la Fuente's side through.
AI-assisted match report written from official match data.
Portugal, managed by Roberto Martinez, had chances of their own but could not find a breakthrough despite dominating territory for long spells. Spain held firm defensively, restricting the hosts to half-chances until Merino's late intervention decided the tie in the away side's favour.
The statistics told of a match Portugal controlled without converting their advantage. They had 56 percent of possession and outshot Spain 15 to nine, six of those on target compared with two, yet it was Spain's single moment of clinical finishing that proved decisive.
Merino settled the contest with the only goal of the match, arriving in the box to finish off Torres's assist in the closing seconds of the game, earning a match rating of 8.2.
Portugal's expected goals figure of 1.77 against Spain's 0.4 reflected their territorial dominance, though it was Spain who found the net.
Spain won 1–0 away against Portugal (half-time 0–0).
Portugal met Spain in the World Cup (Round of 16). Kick-off was Monday, 6 July 2026, 19:00 UTC at AT&T Stadium. Referee: Anthony Taylor.
Key moments
- 90+1' Goal: Mikel Merino (assist: Ferran Torres) — 0–1 · Watch Mikel Merino's goal video (90+1')
Starting line-ups
Portugal (4-2-3-1)
- 1 Diogo Costa
- 25 Nuno Mendes
- 13 Renato Veiga
- 3 Rúben Dias
- 20 João Cancelo
- 15 João Neves
- 23 Vitinha
- 11 João Félix
- 8 Bruno Fernandes
- 18 Pedro Neto
- 7 Cristiano Ronaldo (c)
Spain (4-2-3-1)
- 23 Unai Simón
- 24 Marc Cucurella
- 14 Aymeric Laporte
- 22 Pau Cubarsí
- 12 Pedro Porro
- 20 Pedri
- 16 Rodri (c)
- 15 Álex Baena
- 10 Dani Olmo
- 19 Lamine Yamal
- 21 Mikel Oyarzabal
What the press said
🚨🚨🇪🇸 SPAIN BEAT PORTUGAL AND FLY TO WORLD CUP QUARTER FINALS! Who’s your Man of the Match? https://t.co/u79cRGRH0A
❤️ 30kopen on X ↗
🚨🏅 OFFICIAL: Rodri, Man of the Match for Spain vs Portugal. https://t.co/1lCKVnhxdu
❤️ 18kopen on X ↗
Mikel Merino sends Spain into the QFs with a late winner against Portugal. Spain to now face US or Belgium.🇪🇸 Portugal out in what is expected to be Cristiano Ronaldo's last World Cup. Ronaldo had said before the game he wouldn't attempt to play at another tournament.🇵🇹 https://t.co/zjf503FL18
❤️ 1.2kopen on X ↗
About this match
On this page: the Portugal vs Spain final score and result, goal highlights and video clips of every goal, who scored, starting lineups, match stats and the full match report from this World Cup fixture.
- Who scored and when — a goal-by-goal timeline of the match.
- Match stats — possession, shots, expected goals (xG), corners and cards.
- Starting lineups and player ratings for both teams.
- Head-to-head record and recent form for both sides.
Watch the goals: goal highlights and video clips of every goal from Portugal 0–1 Spain. Explore more on the Portugal and Spain team pages or the World Cup page.
Quick answers
›What was the final score of Portugal vs Spain?
Spain won 1–0 away against Portugal (half-time 0–0).
›Who scored in Portugal vs Spain?
Mikel Merino (90+1') for Spain.
›Where can I watch Portugal vs Spain highlights?
Goal highlights and video clips from Portugal 0–1 Spain are on this page — open the videos tab to watch every goal.