Cristiano Ronaldo exits World Cup as Mikel Merino sends Spain through

Cristiano Ronaldo’s time representing Portugal at the FIFA World Cup may have come to an end in Dallas on Monday afternoon, as Spain advanced to the quarterfinals, 1-0, at their expense.

Mikel Merino came off Spain’s bench and electrified the World Cup crowd in stoppage time during the second half when he finally broke the 0-0 tie for the decisive goal past Portuguese goalkeeper Diogo Costa.

Ronaldo, who never knocked on Spain’s doorstep in this match – no team has as they have yet to give up a goal in this tournament – stared into the crowd after a few desperation attempts weren’t good enough for Portugal as the final whistle rang out.

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Mikel Merino of Spain celebrates after scoring his team’s first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 match between Portugal and Spain at Dallas Stadium on July 6, 2026 in Arlington, United States. (Torbjorn Tande/DeFodi Images/DeFodi)

Ronaldo played in his fifth World Cup, and though there was some heated debate about whether he should be starting for this squad, he leaves perhaps his last tournament of his illustrious career with three more goals on this stage under his belt.

While Ronaldo and his Portuguese teammates think about what could’ve been, Spain will await the winner of Team USA and Belgium, which will play their Round of 16 match in Seattle on Monday night.

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The big story out of the Pacific Northwest is Folarin Balogun, the USMNT star striker who will be available to play after his red card was changed to a suspension – a similar FIFA disciplinary action given to Ronaldo so that he could participate in this World Cup.

It’s been the talk of the tournament, as President Donald Trump said he called FIFA president Gianni Infantino to ask for a review of the controversial red card given in the Round of 32 matchup against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Ultimately, FIFA invoked Article 27 of its disciplinary code, much to the dislike of multiple soccer federations, including the Belgian group they are facing off against tonight.

Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal looks on during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 match between Portugal and Spain at Dallas Stadium on July 6, 2026 in Arlington, United States. (Torbjorn Tande/DeFodi Images/DeFodi)

The U.S. still took care of Bosnia and Herzegovina despite Balogun’s red card during the match, which had them down one man on the pitch compared to their opponent. Malik Tillman’s free kick goal was the nail in the coffin in the second half, as the USMNT moved on with a 2-0 victory and looked ahead to their meeting with Belgium.

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Belgium almost didn’t make it out of the Round of 32, but almost doesn’t count in the World Cup. Senegal had been up 2-0 in the 80th minute of the match when Belgium finally came to life thanks to goals by Romelu Lukaku and Youri Tielemans in the 85th and 89th minutes, respectively.

It forced extra time and Senegal ultimately conceded a penalty kick with just ticks left on the clock before a penalty shootout would’ve determined who advanced in the tournament. Tielemans didn’t waste the opportunity, slamming the door on Senegal’s hopes in crushing fashion.

Mikel Merino of Spain celebrates with teammates Pedro Porro and Fabian Ruiz after scoring his team’s first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 match between Portugal and Spain at Dallas Stadium on July 6, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Hannah Peters – FIFA)

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While Team USA and Belgium prepare for their matchup, Spain will kick its feet up, and perhaps pull out a notepad, as they watch who they will play in the quarterfinals later this week.

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