- Spain beat Portugal 1-0 to reach the World Cup quarter-finals on Monday evening.
- It was Arsenal’s Mikel Merino who came up with the crucial moment in the 91st minute as he slotted past Diogo Costa following a fine through ball.
- It was his first goal for club or country since January, and knocked Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal out of the World Cup.
- Ronaldo is competing at his final World Cup at the age of 41, and the trophy has continued to elude him, after he reached the semi-finals in his first World Cup back in 2006.
- Spain, who won the European Championships in 2024, will now play either USA or Belgium in the quarter-finals on Friday.
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