Kathmandu. In an exciting and very competitive match under the round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup, Spain secured its place in the quarterfinals by defeating Portugal 1(0).

Both teams adopted an aggressive strategy from the beginning in the game at the Dallas-based stadium in the United States. Even though there was a lot of effort from both sides for the scheduled 90 minutes, neither side could score a goal. Spain's Mikel Merino scored a great goal in second half injury time to give the team a crucial win as the match looked certain to be pushed to extra time. Merino's strike proved to be decisive for Spain, who were excellent in ball possession and aggressive moves throughout the game.