Cristiano Ronaldo's World Cup dream ended in tears as Mikel Merino stepped off the bench to fire Spain into the quarterfinals with an injury-time winner in Dallas. The Portuguese superstar had been a passenger for much of a low-key contest that belatedly sprang into life when Merino nipped into the box and fired the only goal of the game past keeper Diogo Costa. Spanish coach Luis de la Fuente brought on Ferran Torres and Merino as second-half substitutes, and that paid off late with Torres slipping a quick ball into the box where the Arsenal midfielder finished at the near post for the win. Spain had held the upper hand throughout but were still forced to hold off a frantic late push from Portugal, with Bernardo Silva lofting a header narrowly over the bar from Sergio Conceição's right-wing cross. Ultimately Portugal paid the price for playing it too cagey for much of the second half. Spain will now meet the winner of USA vs Belgium in the quarterfinals, while this marked the end of an era as Cristiano Ronaldo played his last ever World Cup match.