Mikel Merino delivered the decisive moment for Spain in Dallas, scoring in the 90th minute to edge Portugal in a tightly contested World Cup match. It was the kind of late finish that decided a game which had stayed balanced for long spells, and one that left Portugal without a way back.
The match came on 6 July 2026 in 98 Fahrenheit, or 37°C, conditions in Dallas, and it carried extra weight because Cristiano Ronaldo had said before kick-off that this might be his last World Cup. Instead, his night ended early, with Ronaldo substituted at half-time after suffering a lesion in the 53rd minute while trying to stop Lamine Yamal.
Merino finds the breakthrough
Spain did not need a dominant performance to get the result they wanted. They needed a decisive one, and Merino provided it when the match appeared to be drifting towards a tense finish.
Diogo Costa could not keep out the strike, and that single moment was enough to settle the contest. In a match where neither side gave much away, the difference came down to one late action in the box.
Ronaldo's night ends early
For Portugal, the story was as much about what they lost as what they failed to create. Ronaldo's substitution at half-time changed the tone of the evening, and the injury he picked up in the 53rd minute added another painful layer to a difficult defeat.
The incident against Lamine Yamal will inevitably draw attention because of Ronaldo's status and because of what he had already suggested about his future in the World Cup. But on the night, Spain stayed composed and found the one goal that mattered.
What happens next
Spain move on with the confidence that comes from winning a tight World Cup tie under pressure. For Portugal, this is a defeat that will be judged both by the result and by the loss of Ronaldo before the match had even reached its decisive phase.
Merino's name will now sit at the centre of the story. In a game that needed a hero, he was the player who delivered it.
