Spain edge Portugal 1-0 as late Merino goal ends Ronaldo's World Cup hopes

Mikel Merino came off the bench to score in the ninth minute of injury time, sending Spain into the World Cup quarter-finals with a 1-0 victory over Portugal at AT&T Stadium on Monday.Before a crowd of 70,649 in Arlington, a tight and largely attritional Iberian derby was settle…

Mikel Merino came off the bench to score in the ninth minute of injury time, sending Spain into the World Cup quarter-finals with a 1-0 victory over Portugal at AT&T Stadium on Monday.Before a crowd of 70,649 in Arlington, a tight and largely attritional Iberian derby was settled by a moment of clinical precision, substitute Ferran Torres threading a through ball into Merino's path, the Arsenal midfielder slotting calmly past Diogo Costa into the bottom-left corner to break Portuguese hearts.Spain, who started the evening as statistical favourites, will now face either co-hosts United States or Belgium in the last eight.