Spain bounces Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal from World Cup

ARLINGTON— Portugal legend Cristiano Ronaldo drifted toward midfield, hands at his waist, his face flushed as he shifted his gaze from the grass to the Dallas Stadium crowd one last time Monday afternoon. Tears sat on his eyes as he bit his lip. He clapped gently, turning toward the bench as the crowd chanted “Criiistiaaano Ronaaaldo!”

Ronaldo’s World Cup career likely ended Monday in a 1-0 loss against Spain.

After a scoreless 90 minutes in a match that seemed destined for extra time, Mikel Merino finally found the back of the net in stoppage time to seal Spain’s place in the FIFA 2026 World Cup quarterfinals with a 1–0 score in front of 70,649 fans.

“A lot of joy, a great relief,” Merino said. “It’s the kind of game that goes to extra time. You suffer. The people at home suffer, and to help the team in such an important moment, the last minute of the game. It’s why we play.

“It’s why we come out and we have to be prepared to make an impact in the game.”

Merino took a pass from forward Ferran Torres and delivered the breakthrough early in stoppage time. Merino buried his shot low to finally crack Portugal’s defense after a tense match filled with close calls. 

Mikel Merino lifts Spain

Then Merino lifted his index finger upwards and then paused with his hands on his hips, standing tall and staring into the stands as teammates swarmed him. He then looped around the corner‑flag pole to fire up the La Roja crowd.

“The decisive players were those who came off the bench,” Spain coach Luis De La Fuente said. “I told Merino he should play how he always does. His role is to support the midfielders and the forwards.

“With him, we were thinking about giving the team the rhythm and energy it needed. The players’ impact from the bench has been masterful, but that’s because we have 26 players of a very high level.”

With the victory, Spain likely ended the World Cup career of one of the greatest players of the last two decades. Even among some of the greatest stars in Europe, there was no doubt that Ronaldo was the most popular player at Dallas Stadium on Monday.

As Ronaldo jogged out ahead of Portugal before kickoff, Dallas Stadium shook with a mix of cheers, boos, and one long “Siiiiuuuuu!” Portugal’s long, melodic “Cristiaaaano Ronaaaldo” chants met Spain’s “España! España!” 

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The pregame warm-ups seemed like a noise contest.

“Well, I think he’s a football legend,” midfielder Marc Cucurella said. “He has inspired many young people. Playing against him is always something that motivates you, because when I, for example, was a kid, I’d see him on TV, and now I had an opportunity to play in a World Cup against him.

“Well, he’s a player who always delivers, who makes you always be 100 percent, always focused. We’ve done a great job that we’ve deserved, and we should also enjoy it, because it’s also a pleasure to play at his level and enjoy everything he’s done on the pitch.”

‘Espana! Espana!‘

That noise carried into the match itself. After Ronaldo chants from the Selecao faithful echoed through the stadium, La Roja fans answered with “Espana! Espana!” to thin out the sound.

Portugal’s loss closed Ronaldo’s World Cup chapter. The 41‑year‑old stepped away with 11 goals in 27 World Cup games and became the first man to score in six editions of the FIFA World Cup. He was visibly distraught when the whistle blew to end the match.

SPAIN TAKES THE LEAD ON THE STROKE OF STOPPAGE TIME 🇪🇸

Mikel Merino is the hero! pic.twitter.com/6pVqi1itwF

— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 6, 2026

“Obviously we are sad,” midfielder Bruno Fernandes said.

“We came here with one goal: to win the whole thing. Unfortunately we were not at our best level. I think we played better in the first half today, but in the second half we made the same mistake of defending too low on the pitch, giving the ball to them. 

“When this happens, sooner or later you are going to concede a goal. Congratulations to Spain, they have quality, but I think that if we continued doing what we did in the first half, we could have had a better result.”