Image via RFEF. Oyarzabal competes for the ball against Portugal.
With Mikel Merino’s 91st minute winner, Spain snuck through the revolving Round of 16 door just before they were escorted into extra time by Portugal. Gliding through the middle of the pitch at just the right time to make manager Luis de la Fuente look like a genius for putting not only the Basque midfielder on, but also his provider Ferran Torres. Not since 1950 have either Portugal or Spain beaten the other by more than a single goal in a competitive game, and whether de la Fuente’s side were conscious of that particular run or not, perhaps those thin margins were part of their blueprint for the match.
If you do cycle through the archives of this slightly viscous encounter, you will see more breaks from Spain, more chances, more shots, and you might recall a much more entertaining first half, before a slower rhythm seeped in. Sometimes football’s elusive arbiter of ‘deserving’ can be deceptive, but Spain’s 1.78 total of expected goals feels fitting, and that doesn’t include the numerous unclaimed balls flashed across the Portuguese box.
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¡Viva San FermÃn y viva @mikelmerino1!! #VamosEspaña | #CopaMundialFIFA pic.twitter.com/5yl38qb5K3
— Selección Española Masculina de Fútbol (@SEFutbol) July 6, 2026
Once again though, if there’s something that stands out about the Spain performance, it’s the relative lack of jeopardy. A deflected Nuno Mendes effort, and a late header from Bernardo Silva notwithstanding, Spain’s fans had few opportunities for anguished gasps. Portugal troubled La Roja more than any of their previous four opponents, but the reality is, they could scarcely have done less. The 0.58 expected goals delivered by Cristiano Ronaldo and co. didn’t quite reach the 0.78 survived by Spain against Austria, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde put together, and La Roja now have five clean sheets in a row too.
Image via RFEF. Rodri competes for…..
