Some teams don’t blow opponents away — they wait for the right moment to strike. Spain, champions of 2010, were exactly that kind of team. Sixteen years later, another glimpse of that old identity appeared in Dallas. Portugal fought until the end, and Cristiano Ronaldo waited for his chance too. But it was Spain who had the last laugh, on belief alone. Mikel Merino’s stoppage-time goal gave Luis de la Fuente’s side a 1-0 win, sending them into the World Cup quarter-finals — and setting a new World Cup record along the way.
As the match wore on, the prospect of extra time grew. That’s when Spain’s bench strength showed itself. Substitute Ferran Torres delivered a superb pass in stoppage time, which fellow substitute Mikel Merino latched onto to beat Diogo Costa. Having been the last-minute hero against Germany at the European Championship, he rescued Spain at the World Cup too.
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente didn’t hide his admiration for Merino after the match: “Mikel Merino never lets us down. He’s a guaranteed source of confidence. He won us the European Championship, and he always shows up in the most important moments. He’s one of the best players in the world in his position. We have players on our bench who would start for any other national team.”
Just months ago, Merino himself was uncertain whether he’d even make the World Cup squad. So there was a note of relief in his voice after the winning goal: “Being here would have been unimaginable a few months ago. And now I’m at the top of the world, enjoying one of the happiest moments of my career. Every bit of hard work and every moment of doubt has been worth it today.”
The night in Dallas was not just a story of reaching the quarter-finals — it was a night of records. By keeping Portugal off the scoresheet, Spain set a new record of six consecutive clean sheets at the World Cup. Italy (1990) and Switzerland (2006-10) had previously set the record of five straight matches without conceding. That record now belongs solely to Spain.
Goalkeeper Unai Simon is at the center of this achievement. With another clean sheet against Portugal, he set a new World Cup record of 609 consecutive minutes without conceding. But de la Fuente believes the credit for this feat doesn’t belong to the goalkeeper alone: “This record isn’t just Unai’s — it belongs to his teammates too. It’s the result of their unity, generosity, hard work and sacrifice. Everyone runs for each other.”
This was Ronaldo’s final World Cup match. There was the disappointment of defeat, but he didn’t hesitate to acknowledge his opponent’s superiority: “We lost to a team that I believe will reach the final, or at least come very close to it. I leave with great sadness. We played a good match, either side could have won. That’s football. Leaving this way is disappointing, but I leave with a clear conscience. We gave our best.”
On the night Ronaldo’s World Cup chapter closed, Spain found a new hero. And by setting a world record of six consecutive clean sheets, de la Fuente’s side has made clear that in this World Cup’s title race, their name is no longer just a possibility, but a leading contender. Their quarter-final opponent is Belgium.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report