Spain eliminate rival Portugal in Cristiano Ronaldo's World Cup exit

Substitute Mikel Merino has scored in the first minute of second-half stoppage time to lift Spain into the World Cup quarterfinals with a 1-0 victory over Portugal in Monday's round of 16 clash in Arlington, Texas.

Merino's goal six minutes after his insertion takes La Roja to their first quarterfinals since winning their only World Cup title in 2010. They'll next play Friday in Inglewood, California, against the winner of Monday's second match between the United States and Belgium.

Portugal's loss likely marks the last World Cup appearance for 41-year-old attacker Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored three goals at his record-tying sixth World Cup.

Unlike Argentina's Lionel Messi, who won the 2022 tournament in his fifth appearance and reached the 2014 final, Ronaldo will complete his sixth World Cup without reaching a final. Portugal's best showing during his tenure came via a semifinal run in his 2006 tournament debut.

Merino's winner, his first goal of the tournament after scoring six for Spain in qualifying, came after what was a largely uneventful second half, and from a seemingly innocent restart well beyond the penalty arc.

Fellow substitutes Ferran Torres and Fabian Ruiz combined through the middle to play Merino into the penalty area alone, where his low finish beat the charging Diogo Costa inside the left post.

Dormant for most of the second half, Portugal's attack finally showed signs of life in search of a miracle equaliser. Bernardo Silva came closest to leveling with a header narrowly over the bar six minutes into the added time.

But it would have been undeserved, with Portugal barely testing goalkeeper Unai Simon. He finished with only two saves, keeping Spain the only team in this tournament yet to concede.

Spain had the better start. Mikel Oyarzabal missed wide in the ninth minute after an excellent early attack solved Portugal's offside trap, and eight minutes later, Lamine Yamal and Alex Baena forced Costa into a double save.

Portugal grew into the half. Ronaldo forced Simon into a leaping but ultimately comfortable save in the 37th minute, and four minutes later, Nuno Mendes' thunderously struck attempt deflected off Pedro Porro and then the crossbar.

Cristiano Ronaldo was tearful after the last game of his sixth and final World Cup, but the five-time Ballon d'Or winner insisted, just as he did Sunday before the match, that in the big picture, he remains secure in his legacy with his national team.

"Well, it's normal, sad, to leave the World Cup like this," Ronaldo said through an interpreter. "But, as I said yesterday at the press conference, I gave it my all, I gave my best. And I leave with a clear conscience.

"That's football, that's the life of a footballer. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. And it has to move on. It was my last World Cup, yes, but the rest ... I have time to think, be with my family, not make decisions in the heat of the moment and move on with life."

Ronaldo still finished as one of the tournament's all-time great performers, scoring 11 times in 27 matches and joining Argentina's 39-year-old Lionel Messi, whose team plays Tuesday. 

He was arguably better in the European Championships, where he scored 14 times in 30 matches and helped the Selecao das Quinas to the 2016 title.

"Before Cristiano, Portugal hadn't won any titles," he said. "So, I'm happy. The truth is that the biggest title I won with the national team was in 2016, which for me has the same significance as the World Cup, honestly.

"Therefore, I repeat, I leave with a clear conscience, having done my best, and that's it. Tomorrow will be a new day, and life goes on."

Ronaldo is under contract for one more season with Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, the club where he's spent the past four seasons. This coming season may be his last, though that has not been confirmed.