Spain's hero Merino: “Now everything makes sense”

The dark days of Mikel Merino’s injury are now firmly behind him as his 91st-minute winner was the decisive moment in Spain’s 1-0 win over Portugal to reach the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup on Monday. Spain were marginally on top by way of possession and chances created throughout the match, but it was the 85th-minute introduction of Merino that would pay dividends. With the game looking like it was heading for extra-time, Ferran Torres played a lovely ball through to our man Merino, who slotted it past Diogo Costa and wheeled away in celebration. Speaking after the game, Merino said: “The fact of being here a few months ago was unthinkable. Now I am, as I said before, at the highest point, enjoying one of the happiest moments of my career. “Now I remember all those bad moments, all the people who have supported me, all the people who have pushed me when even I sometimes found it difficult to believe I could be here. “Every day of effort is worth it, every moment of doubt. Now everything makes sense.” You can see what Mikel went through to get back to full fitness in time for the tournament in our exclusive documentary - A Champion's Story - available only on The Arsenal app (download now on iOS/Android). David Raya and Martin Zubimendi were both unused substitutes in the win, which booked a place in Friday’s quarter-final against Belgium, which will kick off at 8pm UK time. Belgium progressed following a 4-1 win over tournament co-hosts USA. Leandro Trossard played 89 minutes and provided an assist for Belgium’s second goal of the game, scored by Charles De Ketelaere, with a cross from the left. It was a quick response to Malik Tillman’s equaliser, after De Ketelaere had opened the scoring early on. Further second-half goals from Hans Vanaken and Romelu Lukaku wrapped up a convincing win. It’s an impressive attacking return for Trossard at the World Cup. He’s scored two goals and provided three assists in five matches for Belgium. Copyright 2026 The Arsenal Football Club Limited. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.