Merino's stoppage-time winner sends Spain to last eight and ends Ronaldo's World Cup run

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Mikel Merino struck in the opening minute of second-half stoppage time on Monday, lifting Spain to a 1-0 victory over Portugal and bringing Cristiano Ronaldo's World Cup playing days to a close.

Merino had just been brought to the ground when the referee whistled for a foul. While a Portuguese player contested the call, Merino took a quick restart, drove toward goal and finished past goalkeeper Diogo Costa after receiving a pass from Ferran Torres.

The win carried Spain into the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time since their lone title run in South Africa in 2010. La Roja will meet either the United States or Belgium on Friday in Inglewood, California.

Ronaldo had aimed to guide Portugal into the last eight at back-to-back World Cups for the first time. Instead, the 41-year-old departs international football's grandest stage as the all-time leader in goals (146) and appearances (233) for a national side.

Merino only entered the match in the 85th minute. His sharp response under pressure reflected the same versatility that helped Arsenal claim its first Premier League crown in more than 20 years earlier this year. Injuries had left his place on Spain's squad in doubt and also disrupted his domestic season.

Monday's meeting between the neighbouring Iberian rivals offered a stark shift from their most recent World Cup clash. The two nations first faced each other in a friendly in Madrid 105 years ago.

Eight years before this fixture, Ronaldo registered his only World Cup hat-trick in a 3-3 group-stage draw with Spain — a match widely regarded as one of the tournament's finest.

Ronaldo found the net three times across this World Cup but created few openings against goalkeeper Unai Simón, who stretched his shutout run at the tournament to 609 minutes. Spain became the first team to record six consecutive clean sheets at a single World Cup.