Spain became the penultimate side to book their place in the World Cup quarter-finals after Mikel Merino scored a late winner to see off Portugal, 1-0. The match started with plenty of derby vigour as the neighbouring Iberian nations were hell for leather, but after the first-half hydration break, the pace took a marked dip. A particularly cagey second half passed, for the most part, without any clear-cut chances, before Merino ghosted into the box and fired home with seconds of injury time remaining.
Portugal will catch the next flight home, then, with the legendary forward Cristiano Ronaldo calling time on his World Cup career. The 41-year-old had already confirmed this tournament would be his last, and he can hold his head high after a solid string of performances, which saw him score three goals this summer. There was further worry for Portugal and Paris Saint-Germain, though, as Nuno Mendes hobbled off with an apparent muscular injury after half-time.
A face-off with either Belgium or the United States awaits La Roja in the next round. Follow the action live below with Standard Sport’s dedicated match blog, complete with expert insight and analysis.
Portugal vs Spain latest news
- GOAL! Merino hits injury-time opener
FULL-TIME: Portugal 0-1 Spain
22:01 , Arthur Ferridge
Joao Neves flicks the free-kick out of play, and that does it in Dallas! Spain progress! Portugal are out!
Portugal 0-1 Spain
22:01 , Arthur Ferridge
90+8mins: Torres sticks a nasty tackle on Conceicao and is booked. Portugal will have one last chance - a free-kick from the right flank.
Portugal 0-1 Spain
22:00 , Arthur Ferridge
90+8mins: Can’t be long left now...
Portugal 0-1 Spain
21:59 , Arthur Ferridge
90+6mins: THAT COULD HAVE BEEN THE MOMENT! Conceicao shoots onto the roof of the net with seconds left to play.
Portugal 0-1 Spain
21:58 , Arthur Ferridge
Less than a minute for Spain to hold on now...
Portugal 0-1 Spain
21:57 , Arthur Ferridge
90+5mins: Every man behind the ball for Spain now. They’re digging in to get this over the line.
Portugal 0-1 Spain
21:55 , Arthur Ferridge
Just about four minutes for Portugal to pull this back from the brink now. They are staring elimination in the face.
GOAL! Portugal 0-1 Spain | Merino '90+1
21:53 , Arthur Ferridge
In the first of six added minutes, Merino comes up clutch! He loves a big goal, and this might be the biggest in his portfolio to date!
Portugal 0-0 Spain
21:51 , Arthur Ferridge
89mins: Bernardo Silva is booked for a shoulder charge on Merino.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
21:50 , Arthur Ferridge
86mins: Spain have been parked in the final third for so much of this second half, but their goal threat has been concerningly small.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
21:45 , Arthur Ferridge
83mins: Vitinha and Pedro Neto are replaced by Conceicao and Bernardo Silva.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
21:44 , Arthur Ferridge
81mins: A nice turn of speed from Leao has Spain backpedalling, but he can’t do anything much with the ground he’s made up.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
21:42 , Arthur Ferridge
79mins: How many times have I written this tonight. Ferran Torres plays a nice cross into the box, but there is no Spaniard in the middle to bury it.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
21:38 , Arthur Ferridge
76mins: Fernandes gets away from Cucurella and smashes a volley at goal, rippling the side netting.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
21:37 , Arthur Ferridge
75mins: A Spain attack breaks down with a misplaced Yamal pass. The youngster has his head in his hands after watching his ball cut out.
Ferran Torres, then, comes on in place of Baena.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
21:35 , Arthur Ferridge
73mins: Yamal shoots, and Diogo Costa pushes his effort over the crossbar. Uncontroversial stuff from the ‘keeper.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
21:35 , Arthur Ferridge
73mins: And here we are, a big chance for Spain. They win a free-kick at the right corner of the 18-yard box. Yamal standing over it.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
21:33 , Arthur Ferridge
71mins: Portugal make changes after the hydration break, with Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo making way for Rafael Leao and Diogo Dalot.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
21:30 , Arthur Ferridge
68mins: Portugal are rather under the cosh now as they face wave after wave of Spanish attack but for now they are holding on.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
21:28 , Arthur Ferridge
66mins: Porro races to the byline and plays in a dangerous cross, but Cancelo is the first man to collect it and clear.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
21:28 , Arthur Ferridge
65mins: Baena gets a shot off from the edge of the area, but it is not a difficult save for Diogo Costa. Spain have lacked a cutting edge in attack today.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
21:26 , Arthur Ferridge
64mins: We are into the final half an hour now, and we await the first goal. Any strike now could well prove decisive.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
21:24 , Arthur Ferridge
61mins: Pedri is in space on the edge of the area and lets fly, but his effort is deflected over. A superb challenge from Renato Veiga there.
Baena takes the corner and the trick is repeated - a long-range shot is deflected behind.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
21:21 , Arthur Ferridge
59mins: Ronaldo gets on the end of Joao Felix’s lobbed cross, but can’t quite get the quality connection he had hoped for.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
21:19 , Arthur Ferridge
57mins: Mendes has been superb this evening, he has kept Lamine Yamal really quiet. Semedo has big, big shoes to fill.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
21:18 , Arthur Ferridge
56mins: Nelson Semedo is on in Mendes’ place.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
21:17 , Arthur Ferridge
55mins: Mendes is back to his feet, but it does not appear he will be able to continue.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
21:16 , Arthur Ferridge
54mins: Ronaldo wriggles through the Spain defence but Cubarsi puts a foot in to halt him.
Concern behind the ball, though, as Nuno Mendes is down injured.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
21:13 , Arthur Ferridge
51mins: The former Chelsea team-mates Pedro Neto and Marc Cucurella are having a right old tussle down on the Portuguese right flank.
The former gets away this time, though, and flashes a cross into the six-yard box, but Ronaldo can’t reach it.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
21:12 , Arthur Ferridge
50mins: Lamine Yamal looks to cut into the box but runs into Nuno Mendes en route. He then wrestles the PSG defender to the floor.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
21:11 , Arthur Ferridge
49mins: Fernandes takes a free-kick from the halfway line, which Simon has no problem catching.
2ND HALF: Portugal 0-0 Spain
21:08 , Arthur Ferridge
We’re back underway!
The players are back out
21:07 , Arthur Ferridge
Time for the restart!
HALF-TIME: Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:51 , Arthur Ferridge
That does it for the first 45!
Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:48 , Arthur Ferridge
45+3mins: Spain win a free-kick, left of centre and 35 yards out. Baena floats it in, but the chance comes to nothing after a foul in the box.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:47 , Arthur Ferridge
45+2mins: Porro finds Yamal with a cracking lofted through-ball, but the flag goes up as the young winger fires wide.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:45 , Arthur Ferridge
There will be six added minutes.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:44 , Arthur Ferridge
44mins: Mendes launches another purposeful cross in search of Cristiano, but Unai Simon does well to claim. He’s looked good so far here.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:43 , Arthur Ferridge
43mins: Spain attempt to counter through Yamal, but Joao Felix is the unlikely hero, tracking back to cut out the threat.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:41 , Arthur Ferridge
41mins: Lest we forget there’s a match on! Nuno Mendes receives the shot corner and laces a pacey shot at Unai Simon’s goal but rattles the bar!
Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:41 , Arthur Ferridge
41mins: Never mind, it still has a massive hole in the heel.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:40 , Arthur Ferridge
40mins: Thankfully, the kitman has deployed a new right boot for Neto.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:39 , Arthur Ferridge
39mins: Upon closer inspection, it appears the heel of Neto’s boot has ripped.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:38 , Arthur Ferridge
38mins: That passage of play seems to have taken its toll on Portugal. Joao Felix and Pedro Neto are both down requiring treatment.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:37 , Arthur Ferridge
37mins: A HUGE save from Simon! Felix nods a cross back towards Cristiano Ronaldo and he flicks it goalwards, but Simon makes an acrobatic dive to deny his looping effort.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:34 , Arthur Ferridge
35mins: Yamal is tackled by Joao Felix as he looks to drive goalwards, and fouls the Al Nassr man in a bid to recover possession.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:33 , Arthur Ferridge
33mins: Yamal pulls a smart low cross into the box but Cancelo gets it clear.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:33 , Arthur Ferridge
33mins: Rodri has looked sharp thus far, pulling the strings in midfield.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:31 , Arthur Ferridge
31mins: Cubarsi has a pop from range - unclear if it was a shot or a pass but it does call Costa into action. He parries to Olmo, who heads wide from an offside position.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:29 , Arthur Ferridge
28mins: Portugal have enjoyed more of the ball since the hydration break, but still Spain look so threatening. They win the ball in midfield and Olmo sends a pinpoint through-ball to Lamal with his first touch. Veiga does well to cut it out.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:26 , Arthur Ferridge
26mins: And we’re back underway.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:23 , Arthur Ferridge
23mins: Baena looks for Olmo at the near post with his cross but it is cleared away as far as Porro, who volleys well wide to take us into the hydration break.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:22 , Arthur Ferridge
22mins: Baena stands over a free-kick high on the left flank...
Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:21 , Arthur Ferridge
Tell you what, the opening 20 minutes of this match have absolutely flown by. Lively stuff. A first goal can’t be too far away!
Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:20 , Arthur Ferridge
21mins: The offside flag goes up as Joao Cancelo jinks inside and shoots over.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:18 , Arthur Ferridge
18mins: It has been end-to-end action thus far. Spain come again through Cucurella, who is dispossessed, and Baena puts in a full-throttle tackle on Neto as he looks to deny the counter.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:16 , Arthur Ferridge
16mins: DOUBLE SAVE FOR DIOGO COSTA! Rodri threads a superb through-ball to Yamal and he cuts inside in trademark fashion, drawing a smart parry from Costa. Baena collects the ball and rebounds, but again the Portugal shot-stopper is equal to it.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:14 , Arthur Ferridge
14mins: Baena looks to shoot first time from the edge of the Portugal box, but his effort is almost directly vertical and sails behind for a goal-kick.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:13 , Arthur Ferridge
13mins: This match has already played host to five shots, two of which have been on target. A first goal cannot be far away.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:12 , Arthur Ferridge
12mins: Fernandes nicks the ball high up the pitch and plays Ronaldo into a dangerous area, but Unai Simon is equal to his shot.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:10 , Arthur Ferridge
10mins: Portugal’s first corner of the day is well defended, but they retain possession after the clearance and continue to attack.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:08 , Arthur Ferridge
8mins: How has he missed?! Oyarzabal is played in behind and appears to be onside but flubs the one-on-one, dragging his shot wide.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:07 , Arthur Ferridge
7mins: Joao Cancelo makes a bombing run forward and sends an unthreatening shot over the bar.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:04 , Arthur Ferridge
5mins: Nuno Mendes makes a bombing run forward to meet a pinged cross-field ball, but can’t quite bring it down.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:03 , Arthur Ferridge
3mins: Oyarzabal looses the first shot of the day from about 25 yards, and draws a routine save from Costa.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:02 , Arthur Ferridge
2mins: Yamal puts in a ‘let him know you’re there’ tackle on Joao Neves.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:00 , Arthur Ferridge
1mins: Commentator Derek Rae keeps referring to this match as the pick of the last-16, which feels like something of a slight for England’s breathless 3-2 win over Mexico last night.
KICK-OFF! Portugal 0-0 Spain
20:00 , Arthur Ferridge
We’re up and running in Dallas!
The man in the middle
19:58 , Arthur Ferridge
Good news for Premier League fans - Anthony Taylor is our referee today.
Let’s all look forward to a nice, uncontroversial afternoon...
Here we go...
19:52 , Arthur Ferridge
The players are walking out! Nearly time to get going...
Team news reminder
19:45 , Arthur Ferridge
With 15 minutes until kick-off, a reminder of this afternoon’s starting XIs.
Portugal XI: Costa, Dias, Veiga, Cancelo, Mendes, Fernandes, J. Neves, Vitinha, Ronaldo, Feliz, Neto
Spain XI: Simon, Porro, Laporte, Cubarsi, Cucurella, Baena, Rodri, Pedri, Olmo, Yamal, Oyarzabal
Roberto Martinez: 'Fate' dictates Portugal should face Spain
19:40 , Arthur Ferridge
Portugal boss Roberto Martinez, a born Spaniard, today faces his mother country, which he puts down largely to sod’s law.
He said: “Fate has decreed that I will see Spain in the round of 16. Spain is a great team; we both need the ball and we defend with it.”
Who will Portugal or Spain face in the quarter-finals?
19:36 , Arthur Ferridge
Whoever wins today will face one of the United States or Belgium in the quarter-finals.
They face off in the last match of the last-16 later tonight.
De la Fuente: Spain have the best midfield in the world
19:33 , Arthur Ferridge
“In my opinion, and I say this with the greatest of respect to everyone, we have the best midfield in the world. We have two players per position who are the best players.
“I can list them: Rodrigo, Zubimendi, Fabián, Pedri, Olmo, Merino, Fabian, Baena, Gavi, Fermín who isn’t here [because of injury], etc … etc.
“I have probably left someone out and he will get angry; don’t get angry. I remember you all. That was an extraordinary midfield [in 2010] as well, it’s true.
“Football changes, but I would put us at almost the same level.” (via The Guardian)
Big test for Joao Felix
19:23 , Arthur Ferridge
Joao Felix makes his third start of the World Cup today, facing Spain in the last-16.
His two previous starts at the tournament came against Uzbekistan and Colombia, totalling 131 minutes of play, and yielded no goal contributions.
Ronaldo: 2026 will be my last World Cup
19:18 , Arthur Ferridge
Cristiano Ronaldo has confirmed that this will be his final World Cup.
The 41-year-old said pre-match: "Let this be my last World Cup; it is my last World Cup, and I hope tomorrow won't be my last match.
"I have given all I could to football, it's my passion to play for so many years. I didn't do it out of need, I'm doing well out of life. It's about passion. I play for the national team and I love to play football.
"Regardless of what happens tomorrow I'm not going to exert pressure on myself that I must win.”
Portugal vs Spain head to head
19:14 , Arthur Ferridge
These two nations have met twice before at the World Cup, with Spain coming out on top in 2010 en route to their eventual triumph in the final.
They met again in 2018 in their opening group game of the tournament in Russia, but Ronaldo’s hat-trick was not enough in a 3-3 classic.
Portugal wins: 7
Spain wins: 18
Draws: 16
Latest match odds
19:04 , Arthur Ferridge
Portugal to win: 13/4
Spain to win: 5/6
Draw in 90 minutes: 13/5
Odds via BOYLE Sports (Subject to change).
Portugal team news
18:54 , Arthur Ferridge
Interestingly, Portugal have dropped Rafael Leao from the starting XI despite him assisting a goal in last week’s 2-1 defeat of Croatia.
He has been replaced by the former Chelsea man Joao Felix.
Spain team news
18:44 , Arthur Ferridge
There are no great surprises in this Spain team. Luis de la Fuente has made no changes to the team which trounced Austria last time out.
Mikel Oyarzabal scored a brace and continues up top, while Marc Cucurella, who notched two assists, also continues.
Nico Williams and Yeremy Pino are both named to the bench despite dealing with injuries.
SPAIN CONFIRMED TEAM NEWS
18:36 , Arthur Ferridge
Spain XI: Simon, Porro, Laporte, Cubarsi, Cucurella, Baena, Rodri, Pedri, Olmo, Yamal, Oyarzabal
Subs: Raya, E. Garcia, Pubill, Grimaldo, J. Garcia, Llorente, Merino, Ruiz, Gavi, Zubimendi, Torres, Pino, Williams, Munoz, Iglesias
PORTUGAL CONFIRMED TEAM NEWS
18:33 , Arthur Ferridge
Portugal XI: Costa, Dias, Veiga, Cancelo, Mendes, Fernandes, J. Neves, Vitinha, Ronaldo, Feliz, Neto
Subs: Sa, Silva, Semedo, Araujo, Dalot, Inacio, Costa, Nunes, B. Silva, R. Neves, Ramos, Trincao, Leao, Guerdes, Conceicao
Team news up next!
18:30 , Arthur Ferridge
Today’s lineups will be released in just a few minutes!
Predicted XIs
18:27 , Arthur Ferridge
Predicted Portugal XI (4-2-3-1): Costa; Cancelo, Dias, Veiga, Mendes; J Neves, Vitinha; Conceicao, Fernandes, Leao; Ronaldo
Predicted Spain XI (4-2-3-1): Simon; Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella; Rodri, Fabian; Yamal, Olmo, Baena; Oyarzabal
Standard Sport prediction
18:23 , Arthur Ferridge
Aside from beating Uzbekistan 5-0, Portugal have been largely unconvincing at the World Cup so far. But a showdown against Spain offers the chance to make a statement.
That said, this Spain team appear to be clicking into gear at just the right time. The upcoming battle between Yamal and Nuno Mendes should go a long way to deciding the outcome and we expect La Roja to progress.
Spain to win, 2-1.
Spain early team news
18:19 , Arthur Ferridge
Nico Williams and Yeremy Pino have returned to training for Spain, though it remains to be seen if they are ready to return after injury. Fellow winger Victor Munoz is also pushing for a comeback.
It has been reported in Spain that neither Lamine Yamal, Aymeric Laporte or Pedro Porro took part in training on Saturday, instead completing recovery work in the gym which means they should all be fit to start.
Portugal early team news
18:16 , Arthur Ferridge
Roberto Martinez has a fully-fit Portugal squad at his disposal, though he may be considering changes to the starting XI after making some big decisions in the comeback win over Croatia.
Ronaldo, Vitinha and Bruno Fernandes were all substituted in the second half, but are expected to keep their places. However, Ramos’ winner may not be enough to earn him a start.
How to watch Portugal vs Spain
18:13 , Arthur Ferridge
TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live and free-to-air on BBC One, with coverage starting at 7.30pm BST.
Live stream: UK viewers can also catch the contest live online via the BBC iPlayer or the BBC Sport website.
Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sport’s live blog.
Free highlights: World Cup highlights are available on FIFA’s official YouTube channel, along with the BBC iPlayer and ITVX app.
Good evening
18:09 , Arthur Ferridge
Hello, and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Portugal vs Spain in the World Cup last-16.
It is the penultimate tie of the round. Which of these great sides will book their place in the quarter-finals?
All will be revealed! Kick-off is less than two hours away - we’ll get going at 8pm BST.
