---
title: "Spain defeated Portugal in a highly principled Round of 16 match at the 2026 World Cup"
description: "🔥 Spain defeated Portugal in a highly principled Round of 16 match at the 2026 World Cup! The decisive goal was scored by Merino in the 90th minute. 🔥⚽ #WC2026 #Football #Spain #Portugal"
date: 2026-07-06T21:20:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/spain-defeated-portugal-in-a-highly-principled-round-of-16-match-at-the-2026-world-cup
tags: []
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Spain defeated Portugal in a highly principled Round of 16 match at the 2026 World Cup

In Dallas, at the AT&T Stadium, one of the most anticipated matches of the 2026 World Cup concluded. In the Round of 16, the national teams of Portugal and Spain met, demonstrating to the spectators a tense, high-class game that could serve as a benchmark for the entire tournament.

### First Half: Missed Chances and Goalkeeper Heroics

The teams started the encounter without unnecessary reconnaissance, immediately moving to sharp attacks. The first 100% chance arose as early as the 8th minute: Mikel Oyarzabal shot wide of the right post from an ideal position. The Portuguese immediately responded with a dangerous move by Cristiano Ronaldo, but no goal was scored.

In the middle of the half, the "Red Fury" seized the initiative. The Portuguese goalkeeper, Diogo Costa, was forced to demonstrate his full class, saving two close-range shots in a single minute — from Lamine Yamal and Álex Baena. Towards the end of the first half, the Spanish launched a real assault: Unai Simón neutralized a joint attack by Félix and Ronaldo, and in the 41st minute, the goal frame played for Spain — Nuno Mendes, following a corner, struck a super-powerful shot that only rattled the crossbar.

### Second Half: Leader's Injury and the Deciding Goal

The second half began with trouble for the Portuguese — one of their leaders, Nuno Mendes, sustained an injury and was forced to leave the field. The Spanish gradually squeezed their opponents, regularly intensifying the situation with long-range shots from Pedri and Baena, as well as a dangerous shot by Yamal from a free-kick that hit the crossbar.

Portugal responded rarely, mostly with wing crosses from Neto and Cancelo, but Ronaldo lacked the speed to finish the attacks. The coaches tried to freshen up the game with substitutions, and towards the end, the tempo noticeably slowed down — the teams effectively agreed to extra time.

However, in the 90th minute, Luis de la Fuente's move worked: Ferran Torres, who had come on, sliced through the opponent's defense with a perfect pass, found Mikel Merino, and the latter calmly beat the goalkeeper in close quarters with a shot into the left corner. The exhausted Portugal could no longer organize a final assault in the six added minutes.