Spain Advances With Substitute's Late Goal Over Portugal
Spain advanced to the 2026 World Cup semi-finals with a 90+1st minute goal from substitute Miguel Merino against Portugal on July 6, marking their first last-four appearance in 16 years.
Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente credited substitute players as the crucial factor in his team's victory, while Portugal coach Roberto Martínez expressed regret that his team could not hold on to force extra time. In the 2026 World Cup Round of 16 match on July 6, Spain scored the winning goal through substitute Miguel Merino in the 90+1st minute, with fellow substitute Ferran Torres providing the assist. Spain advanced to the semi-finals for the first time in 16 years since winning the 2010 World Cup and will face the winner of the USA-Belgium match on July 10. De la Fuente said: "This was an excellent match between two top teams—it was like a final. But our key was the players who came off the bench as substitutes. The contribution of our substitute players was outstanding, and that's because we have 26 high-level players in our squad." Martínez said: "Portuguese fans should be proud of this team and these players. I think we deserved extra time. We defended well and had chances to score, even hitting the crossbar. We played against a top favorite team, and we may have lacked some luck, but it was a very competitive match."
