Portugal 0-1 Spain ratings: Rodri shines, Ronaldo labours as Merino wins it | OneFootball

Spain beat Portugal 1-0 in added time to reach the World Cup quarter-finals. Rodri excelled while Cristiano Ronaldo failed to make an impact.

Ronaldo hit the target from a tight angle on 12 minutes, then Diogo Costa repelled a double chance for Lamine Yamal and Pedri on 16. L'Équipe notes that Rodri dictated midfield and Dani Olmo found pockets between the lines.

Olmo headed wide on 31 and later saw a 78th-minute effort deflected by Ruben Dias. Merino, introduced for Olmo on 85, ran in behind to meet Ferran Torres’s pass and finished left-footed at 90+1.

Nuno Mendes largely subdued Yamal and threatened with sweeping switches, his first-half strike was diverted by Pedro Porro on to the bar. He then departed injured early in the second half after Yamal finally beat him, which curbed Portugal’s ambition.

Costa, Portugal’s standout this tournament, was alert again to a Yamal free-kick on 73 and assured with his distribution and in the air. He could do little about the winner.

Ronaldo had only 12 first-half touches, pressed loosely on Laporte and wasted several counters after the break, offering nothing in the air. Bruno Fernandes, on a flat tournament with only one assist against Uzbekistan, hit the side-netting with a 76th-minute volley and never linked with his captain. Roberto Martinez’s changes backfired, leaving him unable to introduce Gonçalo Ramos late on. Spain are now unbeaten in their last 35 matches in all competitions.

Source: L'Équipe