{"id":216146,"date":"2026-07-06T22:40:52","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T22:40:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/spain-score-late-winner-to-beat-portugal-and-end-ronaldos-world-cup-dream-live-updates-the-new-york-times\/"},"modified":"2026-07-06T22:40:52","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T22:40:52","slug":"spain-score-late-winner-to-beat-portugal-and-end-ronaldos-world-cup-dream-live-updates-the-new-york-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/spain-score-late-winner-to-beat-portugal-and-end-ronaldos-world-cup-dream-live-updates-the-new-york-times\/","title":{"rendered":"Spain score late winner to beat Portugal and end Ronaldo\u2019s World Cup dream: Live updates – The New York Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

World Cup
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Spain manager Luis de la Fuente has spoken to TV Espana about the importance of his whole squad in reaching the quarter-finals.
💬 "Those who came on in the second half gave us that energy to be able to finish the game in this way.<\/strong><\/em>
\u201cMikel (Merino) can play that role, between midfield and attack. And we thought of what might happen if it went to extra time. But what those players brought was magisterial. That\u2019s the good fortune we have, we have 26 players of a really high level."<\/strong><\/em>
Despite producing a genuine icon on Cristiano Ronaldo and a rolling cast of other world-class stars in recent years, it seems that Portugal have lost the knack of winning World Cup knockout matches.
They have been eliminated from six of their last eight such occasions, having lost just one of their first five in the competition.
Today, Portugal failed to register a single shot on target in the second half against Spain, while two of their five second-half shots overall came in stoppage time.
With Belgium and now Portugal, Roberto Martinez has twice coached incredibly talented international sides without delivering any success.
The FA Cup final victory over Manchester City with Wigan Athletic back in 2013 still probably remains his greatest managerial achievement. That day, all the odds were stacked against him.
Now, with the odds so often in his favour, he hasn't been able to pinpoint a winning formula against a Spain side who were far from their best.
Martinez\u2019s decision to leave Portugal is unselfish and correct. It just didn\u2019t work out as planned.
That is a decision that makes sense for all parties.
The Roberto Martinez experiment for Portugal has not worked at all. There was a Nations League triumph last year but ultimately only major tournaments matter for the Portuguese public, and they failed at Euro 2024 and this World Cup.
A quarter-final defeat against France two years ago was a little unfortunate, as they were beaten on penalties, but this campaign was really poor.
This Portugal team is a very<\/em> strong one and Martinez didn't get anything out of it, so he had to go.
They will arrive at Euro 2028 as one of the favourites again, and they need a better manager to lead them into that tournament.
Roberto Martinez has confirmed that he will not be continuing as Portugal head coach after their last-16 defeat to Spain.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, he said: \u201cIt's the end of the cycle. It's important to have a new voice, a new leader.<\/em><\/strong>
\u201cI take with myself the memories, and hope that Portugal has good memories in the three years and a half i was head coach of the team. It was the experience of my life.<\/em><\/strong>
\u201cIt had not been decided previously (that I would leave after the tournament). I came with the goal to win the World Cup, and because I did not win, it does not make sense to continue.\u201d<\/em><\/strong>
Two substitutes \u2013 Ferran Torres and Mikel Merino \u2013 combined to eventually break the deadlock late on in the first minute of stoppage time.
Fabian Ruiz also made an appearance off the bench, while Gavi, Martin Zubimendi, and Nico Williams did not even make it onto the field.
Against more expansive and adventurous opposition, Spain could be punished for a similar lack of incisiveness they showed for the majority of this match.
I say that while looking at Spain's knockout path, which could conjure up a semi-final against France, who have been in scintillating attacking form.
More from Rodri<\/strong>, speaking to TV Espana<\/em>.
💬 \u201cWe knew it would be a game to remain patient. They are a team who defend very well in a low block and play on the break.<\/em><\/strong>
\u201cWe knew we could not send too many players forward as they could catch us on the counter. We were able to read it perfectly, except for a few times, as they have such high quality players.<\/em><\/strong>
\u201cI\u2019d give the MVP award to Mikel, of course, as it\u2019s not easy to come in like that, and so often he is the one who makes the difference.\u201d<\/em><\/strong>
Having discussed Ronaldo, Rodri<\/strong> then gave his reaction to the match itself to TV Espana<\/em>.
💬 \u201cThey are two very similar teams, who both want to have the ball, and show personality. So it was always going to be decided by the small details, as it was. The goal was almost the first time in the whole game we found that space inside. We can improve that for the next games.<\/em><\/strong>
\u201cThere\u2019s still a long way to go, and we can still improve a lot. Now we have to rest well, as the physical side is very important. We\u2019re not done yet. But we have to be happy.\u201d<\/em><\/strong>
Rodri was asked about Cristiano Ronaldo when he spoke after the match.
💬 \u201cWe're talking about one of the best players in the history of football, his mentality, the way he understands the game and to score \u2026 it's remarkable. I think his country has to be so proud of him.<\/em><\/strong>
\u201cAn incredible example for the generations to come.\u201d<\/em><\/strong>
I understand the clamour to get Ramos on for Ronaldo given the 41-year-old's lack of impact on the match, but he too would have received no service in attack.
Ronaldo's inclusion has previously been a glaring problem for Portugal to solve, but I don't think he was the main issue for them at this tournament.
Their lack of control of their biggest games at this tournament, despite the midfield players they have got, is a failing that can only be placed at the door of the team's manager.
Strikers always tend to struggle in teams that don't create chances \u2014 Ronaldo in this Portugal team is no different.
How did Goncalo Ramos not get a minute today? He came on against Croatia in the round of 32 and scored a stoppage-time winner.
He is a two-time Champions League winner \u2014 though spent most of those campaigns on the bench \u2014 and has secured a big-money move to AC Milan.
A baffling decision for Roberto Martinez to leave him on the bench.
In qualifying for World Cup & Euros:
In group stage of World Cup & Euros:
In knockout stage of World Cup & Euros:
The reigning European champions still haven\u2019t conceded a goal at this World Cup.
Watertight at the back. Irrestistiably slick in midfield. Efficient in attack.
The recipe for lifting the trophy on July 19? It wouldn\u2019t surprise anyone.
Spain are the complete side.<\/p>\n

Portugal cannot complain.
They were largely solid at the back \u2013 apart from conceding that goal to Merino \u2013 but going forward, they were toothless and underwhelming.
Martinez\u2019s reluctance to use Ramos and persist with Ronaldo will come under fire, and rightly so. On his final World Cup appearance, the 41-year-old offered very little, while other attacking stars such as Fernandes and Neto were also anonymous.
A day to forget for Portugal, whose forward line just didn't click at all.
Our game rating: 3\/10.<\/strong> Other than England against Mexico, every other last-16 game was goalless at half-time. It seemed reasonable, therefore, to expect this one might improve after the interval.
Instead, the second half was actually worse than the first, with neither side throwing caution to the wind and both lacking real quality in attacking areas.
This looked like being the pick of the round on paper and yet it was easily the worst of the games. Spain had plenty of the ball but rarely threatened to score, while Portugal seemed content simply to hang in there.
The introduction of Mikel Merino made the difference at the end, providing a rare moment of quality in a largely drab affair.
Given Portugal\u2019s squad depth and individual quality, exiting the competition at the last 16 stage in such meek and forgettable circumstances will cast an even more negative light on Martinez.
They\u2019ve flattered to deceive throughout the tournament, finishing second in their group behind Colombia and narrowly squeezing past an ageing Croatia side in the round of 32.
Coupled with the elimination from the 2024 European Championship quarter-finals, Martinez has failed to get the best out of his players at two major tournaments.
Prior to this World Cup, there was uncertainty surrounding his future and hints at a departure. This result makes it look like a formality now.
Team Stats
POR
ESP
Game Details<\/p>\n

source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

World CupFIFA WorldCup 2026LIVE3m agoAdvertisementliveUpdated 5m agoCristiano Ronaldo\u2019s World Cup dream was ended by fierce international rivals Spain, who progressed to the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup thanks to a last-gasp winner from Mikel Merino.In a poor game of few chances, Arsenal\u2019s Merino pounced in stoppage time, running between Portugal\u2019s centre-halves before finishing low […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":216147,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-216146","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216146","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=216146"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216146\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/216147"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=216146"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=216146"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=216146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}