Spain defeated Portugal 1-0 in the Round of 16 match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, securing a place in the quarter-finals. With this defeat, the World Cup journey of Portugal’s 41-year-old star Cristiano Ronaldo also came to an end.
The match between the two teams was intense and highly competitive from the opening whistle to the final moments. However, Mikel Merino scored the only goal of the game, securing victory for Spain.
Portugal launched repeated attacks in search of an equaliser, but Spain’s well-organised defence managed to neutralise all of their efforts until the final moments of the match.
With this defeat, Portugal were eliminated from the World Cup, bringing an end to Cristiano Ronaldo’s final attempt to achieve success on football’s biggest stage. Ronaldo had previously stated that the 2026 World Cup would be his last World Cup appearance as a player.
Spain will face the winner of the match between the United States and Belgium in the quarter-finals.
Writer:Saeed Sameer
