Spain Snatches Late Win Over Portugal to Reach Quarterfinals

Spain's national football team claimed a hard-fought 2-1 victory over neighboring Portugal on Monday evening, booking their spot in the tournament's quarterfinals with a goal in stoppage time.

Portugal's journey to the knockout stage was marked by inconsistency. In the group phase, they managed only one win — a 5-0 thrashing of Uzbekistan — along with draws against DR Congo (1-1) and Colombia (0-0). In the round of 16, Portugal edged past Croatia 2-1, with the winning goal coming in added time.

Spain, meanwhile, started the tournament with a goalless draw against Cape Verde, but then convincingly beat Saudi Arabia (4-0) and Uruguay (1-0). Their round of 16 match saw them dominate Austria 3-0, maintaining a perfect defensive record — they had not conceded a single goal before Monday's clash.

The two sides last met in the UEFA Nations League final last year, where Portugal triumphed on penalties. In the 2022 Nations League group stage, one match ended in a draw, while Spain won the other. Their most recent World Cup encounter was in 2018, a 3-3 group-stage thriller.

In the next quarterfinal, the United States will face Belgium at 3 AM Latvian time on Tuesday in Seattle. The match will be broadcast live on TV6 and via the Go3.lv platform.