In a very intense encounter between the Iberian neighbours, both sides struggled to find an edge over the other at the home of the NFL franchise Dallas Cowboys with it ultimately taking over 90 minutes for the deadlock to be broken.
Mikel Merino grabbed that winner, slotting the ball home after being played through, one-on-one with Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa, and, with just five minutes left of the game, it left little time for the Portuguese to respond.
The winner saw Spain earn a place in the quarter-finals of the World Cup for the first time since 2010, when they went on to lift the trophy for the first time with a 1-0 win over the Netherlands in South Africa. They will now face the winner of the USA and Belgium in LA on Friday.
Pedro impressed in the game, making eight defensive interventions and coming out on top in 10 of his duels. He also helped Spain make World Cup history as they secured a sixth consecutive clean sheet having yet to concede at the 2026 edition.
Pedro joins fellow full-back Djed Spence in the last eight with Cristian Romero and Marcos Senesi's Argentina who are set to play Egypt tomorrow (Tuesday) in Atlanta.
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