Last minute injury! Ronaldo’s World Cup dream was shattered by Marino’s goal, Spain in the quarter-finals.

There is no reason to think that 90 minutes without a goal on the football field means that the match is going to extra time. The Spanish Armada proved once again in Dallas that a game can change in a split second.

Luis de la Fuente’s Spain knocked Portugal out of the World Cup thanks to Michael Marino’s 91st minute accidental goal. At the referee’s final whistle, 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo’s dream of winning the World Cup ended.

No history was made in Dallas, but CR7 bid farewell to the world stage, losing to the Spanish trickster. On the other hand, Spain won the battle of nerves to secure the ticket to the last eight of the World Cup.

From the start of the match, both teams went ahead. Michael Verzabal had a golden chance to give Spain the lead in the eighth minute. The Portuguese goalkeeper was found alone but his shot went wide. Ronaldo is desperate for a goal at the other end. In the 11th minute, the strong shot was easily blocked by Spanish goalkeeper Unai Simeon. Ronaldo’s volley was saved by the keeper from Joao Felix’s perfect pass.

Just before the end of the first half, in the 41st minute, a powerful shot from Portugal’s Nuno Mendes deflected off Pedro Porro’s crossbar. Despite several scoring chances in the first half, neither team was able to finish and went back to the locker room scoreless.

The battle for possession and pace intensified in the second half. However, the Portuguese camp suffered a big blow in the 55th minute. Left-back Nuno Mendes, Spain’s biggest reliance on young striker Lemin Yamal, was forced out by injury. He was replaced by Nelson Semedo.

In the 70th minute, Portugal coach Roberto Martinez brought on Rafael Liao, Diogo Dalot and Francisco Conceicao to further stifle the attack. The Spanish coach also countered. He changed tactics to keep possession of the ball in midfield, leaving out Marino and Fabian Ruiz. Yamal’s free kick was saved by Diego Costa in the 72nd minute. In the 78th minute, Ruben Diaz blocked Dani Olmo’s sure shot with a great sliding block.

Just as almost everyone in the gallery began the countdown to extra time, Spain’s Mox struck in the first minute of injury time. Ferran Torres quickly got the ball from the free-kick before the Portuguese defense could figure it out. Marino makes his perfect catch with the ball, enters the box and fires a low shot into the net. Spain secured the victory in the 91st minute.

Portugal could not find an equalizer despite a fierce attack in the last few minutes. Before the game, Ronaldo announced that this would be his last World Cup. He also missed the opportunity to make history by scoring in two consecutive knockout matches. Spain’s solid defense gave him no room to move throughout the match. Spain will now face USA or Belgium in the quarter-finals. Dallas Stadium proved football is cruel and not a place to live up to expectations. Ronaldo returned empty-handed.