Spain eliminates Portugal and Ronaldo from World Cup

Spain's national football team secured a dramatic 1-0 victory over Portugal in the World Cup round of 16 in Dallas on Monday, keeping their clean sheet streak alive and sending Cristiano Ronaldo home.

The only goal came in the first minute of stoppage time, when Mikel Merino, who had come on as a substitute ten minutes earlier, finished from close range after a quick free kick and a pass from Ferran Torres, beating Portuguese goalkeeper Diogo Costa to the left corner.

The first half saw chances for both sides. Spain's Mikel Oyarzabal shot just wide, Álex Baena's attempt was saved by Costa, and Dani Olmo missed the target. Portugal responded with Cristiano Ronaldo's shot saved by Unai Simón and Nuno Mendes hitting the crossbar.

The second half produced few clear-cut chances, but both teams made a total of eight substitutions, with Portugal using all five permitted changes.

Portugal had a lackluster group stage, managing only one win (5-0 against Uzbekistan), along with draws against DR Congo (1-1) and a goalless stalemate with Colombia. In the round of 16, they edged past Croatia 2-1. Spain started the tournament with a goalless draw against Cape Verde, then beat Saudi Arabia 4-0 and Uruguay 1-0, followed by a 3-0 victory over Austria in the round of 16. Prior to this match, Spain had not conceded any goals in the tournament.

Spain will face the winner of the USA-Belgium match in the quarterfinals.

This is the first World Cup featuring 48 teams, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.