Merino's stoppage-time goal sends Spain into the last eight

One of the World Cup's biggest derbies went down to the wire at the 95,000-capacity AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Spain beat Portugal 1-0 in the Iberian derby to reach the quarterfinals, with the winning goal coming from substitute Mikel Merino, who had been on the pitch for just six minutes.

For ninety minutes, neither side could find the breakthrough in a tightly balanced contest. But everything changed when Luis de la Fuente withdrew Dani Olmo for Merino in the 85th minute. In the first minute of stoppage time, Merino met a pass from Ferran Torres and finished coolly to put Spain ahead, leaving Portugal with no time to respond.

The match statistics reflect a deserved Spanish victory: with 56 per cent of possession, Spain fired 15 shots and posted an expected-goals figure of 1.77, comfortably outperforming Portugal's 10 shots and 0.57 xG. For Portugal, a night already shadowed by debate over Ronaldo's continued inclusion ended in disappointment; the second-half introductions of Rafael Leao and Joao Felix were not enough to change the outcome.

Spain's quarterfinal opponent will come from the corresponding section of the draw. Having yet to concede a single goal across the tournament, Spain reinforced their status as one of the strongest title favourites with this crucial win.

Match Stats
Score: 0-1 (Merino 90+1') · Possession: Spain 56% – Portugal 44%
Expected goals (xG): Spain 1.77 – Portugal 0.57 · Shots: Spain 15 – Portugal 10
Referee: Anthony Taylor · Venue: AT&T Stadium, Arlington (95,000)

Image: Yahoo Sports