Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino came off the bench to devastating effect as his late goal ensured Spain’s triumph over Iberian rivals Portugal.

Monday evening’s World Cup Round of 16 all-European clash at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas was a rather turgid affair with chances few and far between. Goalkeepers Diogo Costa and Unai Simón were relatively untroubled until Mikel Merino was brought on for Pedri in the 85th minute for Spain.

It took the Arsenal midfielder just 6 minutes to take a quick free kick, make a run ahead of the ball, receive it in space on the half turn, and slot expertly past Portuguese goalkeeper Diogo Costa for the winner in the 91st minute.

Here are 5 key takeaways from the game.

1. Yamal still not up to scratch

Lamine Yamal is a precocious talent who has had one of the best starts to a career of any footballer in history. The Euro 2024 winner had a barnstorming 2024/25 season in which he registered 18 goals and 25 assists in 55 games as Barcelona marched on to a domestic double.

The teenager narrowly missed out on the Ballon d’Or award for the season, finishing in second place, and he was one of the frontrunners for this year’s Ballon d’Or as well after contributing 24 goals and 18 assists in 45 games and leading Barcelona to another league title.

Yamal’s season was derailed by a hamstring injury he suffered in late April that ruled him out of the rest of Barcelona’s season and Spain’s opening World Cup game against Cabo Verde. And although he returned with a goal in Spain’s second group game against Saudi Arabia, Yamal has not been at his resplendent best at this tournament so far.

Against Portugal, the 18-year-old lost possession 19 times and lost over half of his duels as well, winning only 10 out of 21. Spain have managed to scrape by without him at his best so far, but they will need that to change quickly if they are to win a second world title this summer.

2. Unai Simón still unbeaten

The topic of who Spain’s first-choice goalkeeper should be at this World Cup was a hot one this summer. Arsenal ball-playing goalkeeper David Raya had just enjoyed an excellent season in which he was crucial to his club winning the league for the first time in 22 years and reaching the finals of the UEFA Champions League and Carabao Cup.

Barcelona shot-stopper Joan Garcia was arguably even more important to his club’s successes this season, as his instinctive reflexes and cat-like agility meant Barcelona could play with an extremely attacking tactic without being punished for it most times. Unai Simón, in comparison, was part of a very underwhelming Athletic Club (Bilbao) side that finished well outside of the European spots in 12th, only 3 points above the relegation zone.

Yet Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente persisted with Simón as his first-choice goalkeeper, and he has been duly rewarded. The 29-year-old is the only goalkeeper at the tournament who has not been beaten so far, and against Portugal he became the first goalkeeper to keep 6 successive clean sheets at the World Cup. Simón has been an assuring presence between the sticks for La Roja, and they would be hoping he continues his form as they seek a second world title.

3. Stars fail to light up Texas

A World Cup Round of 16 match between Iberian rivals Spain and Portugal should produce fireworks. When the sides met at the same stage in 2010, there were 27 shots (18 for Spain, 9 for Portugal), with 10 on target, including a marvellous David Villa finish, as Spain progressed on their way to a first-ever World Cup title.

The final scoreline was 1-0 again, 16 years later, but the quality of the matches could not have differed more. In a matchup featuring Spanish stars such as Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Rodri, Mikel Oyarzabal, and Dani Olmo, and Portuguese sensations Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha, Rafael Leão, and João Félix, both sides could only manage to combine for 25 shots with 7 on target. Portugal’s 2 shots on target were fewer than they managed against Spain with a red card in 2010. Spain’s attack was largely passive and required an unfit Yamal to produce magic or Portugal’s defence to have lapses in concentration.

Portugal’s attack was even blunter, with few penetrative runs and most of their passes being circulated in front of the Spanish defence. Fortunately, Mikel Merino came off the bench to take advantage of an eventual Portuguese defensive lapse in concentration and prevent a further 30 minutes of what had been a rather dull watch.

4. Pedri’s international tournament struggles persist

At just 23 years of age, Pedro Gonzalez Lopez, popularly referred to as ‘Pedri’, is one of the best central midfielders in world football, if not the outright best. The Barcelona playmaker is blessed with a featherlike touch on the ball that allows him to manoeuvre with it in seemingly impossible situations, and eagle-eyed vision that enables him to part a defence at will with his line-breaking passes.

Another Ballon d’Or nominee in this Spanish setup, Pedri was also essential in Barcelona’s league title wins in 2024/25 and 2025/26, contributing to 14 goals in each season while setting the tempo of his team’s play. But for whatever reason, Pedri has struggled to replicate this form in major tournaments for Spain.

Against Portugal for Spain, Pedri recorded 0 dribbles, 0 shots on target, and 0 big chances created in another toothless display for his national team that saw him hauled off for the eventual match-winner, Mikel Merino. This was Pedri’s 18th match at an international tournament for Spain, and in that time, he has recorded 0 goals and only 1 assist.

The only occasion on which he has found the net for Spain was an own goal against Croatia in Euro 2020. Pedri is not the only superstar to have struggled at the international stage, and he can take solace in the improved form of previous national team droppers such as Ousmane Dembele and Vinicius Jr. Spain would need him to find that form quickly.

5. Mikel Merino’s footballing transformation reaps dividends

It is always a pleasure to witness new life breathed into a footballer’s career by a change of position or role. Mikel Merino was a tough-tackling defensive midfielder who struggled to get regular minutes for the national team because he was not as technical as your typical Spanish midfielder.

The 30-year-old, who was occasionally used as a centre-back due to his physicality and rudimentary approach, struggled earlier in his career at Borussia Dortmund and Newcastle, who did not receive the silky Spanish midfielder they thought they were getting. He moved back to Spain with Basque club Real Sociedad, who took a chance on him and eventually discovered that he had excellent movement in the box in addition to his aerial threat. They began to allow him more offensive liberties and were rewarded as he provided 8 goals and 5 assists from midfield in the 2023/24 season, earning him a first-ever national team call-up for the Euro 2024.

He came off the bench to score the decisive goal against Germany in extra time of the quarterfinal, and the rest is history. Merino moved to Arsenal after the tournament and further sharpened his box instincts, scoring a career-best 9 goals and providing 5 assists as he occasionally played as a striker under Mikel Arteta in the 2024/25 season.

Against Portugal on Monday evening, those box instincts were on display again as he ghosted into space before calmly slotting the ball home for the winner. Merino might not be your typical Spanish midfielder, but his transformation means he is now a necessary member of the Spanish squad who they would turn to as a reliable source of goals when they need one.

It was an underwhelming World Cup showing from a Portugal side who were tipped as one of the pre-tournament favourites heading into this summer’s competition. But with head coach Roberto Martinez and captain Cristiano Ronaldo leaving the team after the tournament, there is an opportunity for a rebuild to get them to the levels expected of them.

Spain are also yet to reach their best levels at this World Cup but would be encouraged by the fact that they have still not conceded a goal despite this, and the likes of Yamal and Pedri are likely to turn up to the party sooner rather than later.

DISCLAIMER: Independentghana.com will not be liable for any inaccuracies contained in this article. The views expressed in the article are solely those of the author's, and do not reflect those of The Independent Ghana