Spain substitute Mikel Merino broke through a stubborn Portugal defence in the 91st minute to earn his side a 1-0 win on Monday to ​take the former champions into the quarter-finals and bring the curtain down on Cristiano Ronaldo's World Cup career, Reuters reported. 

The midfielder scored six minutes after coming off the bench in the Iberian Derby at Dallas Stadium to move the European champions into the last eight, prevailing where his teammates had been frustrated by a determined Portuguese backline.