Late Spain goal eliminates Portugal, ends Ronaldo's international career

Mikel Merino scored in the first minute of second-half stoppage time, giving Spain a 1-0 win over Portugal on Monday and likely ending the World Cup career of superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. After being fouled, Merino took a quick free kick, ran toward the goal and fired past goalkeeper Diogo Costa following a pass from Ferran Torres. Spain advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time since winning its only World Cup title in 2010. La Roja will face either the USA or Belgium on Friday at Los Angeles Stadium.

Ronaldo was trying to lead Portugal to back-to-back quarterfinal appearances, something the nation has never achieved. Instead, his international career on the biggest stage is likely over for the all-time leader in international goals (146) and appearances (233). Merino came on as a substitute in the 85th minute, and his quick thinking demonstrated the versatility that helped Arsenal win its first Premier League title in over 20 years last May. He had been doubtful for Spain's squad due to injuries.

Spain set a World Cup record with its sixth consecutive clean sheet, and goalkeeper Unai Simon extended his shutout streak to 609 minutes. Spain broke the previous record held by Italy (1990) and Switzerland (2006-10). Simon surpassed the previous mark of 517 consecutive scoreless minutes during a 3-0 win over Austria on Thursday. Famed Italian goalkeeper Walter Zenga set that standard in 1990. Simon's shutout streak began in 2022 in Qatar during a 2-1 loss to Japan. Against Portugal, he made two saves in the first half, both from Cristiano Ronaldo, including an impressive diving stop.