The Difference a Strong Bench Makes (Spain Player Ratings)

Unai Simón started the match with an impressive 519 minutes without conceding a goal in World Cups, extending that record to 609. His excellent positioning was enough to thwart Ronaldo's shot in the 12th minute, but in the 37th, he had to work much harder to parry an initial Félix strike and then Cristiano Ronaldo's follow-up. He faced no further shots on target in the second half.

In defense, Simón was well-supported by Porro, who made a crucial block, deflecting Nuno Mendes' powerful shot onto the post in the 42nd minute.

In the midfield, where the game was expected to be decided, Rodri dictated the tempo. He was the one who allowed the team to breathe and even accelerated their play with pinpoint passes, such as the one that found Ferrán, disrupting the Portuguese defense and ultimately the game in the 90+1st minute.

Pedri, on the other hand, found himself shadowed by a full-time marker – either João Neves or Bruno Fernandes – and his influence on Spain's play waned. In the 61st minute, he managed a shot from the edge of the box, but Veiga deflected it for a corner.

Further up the pitch, Baena was involved in the most aesthetically pleasing moment of the first half when his perfectly placed shot forced Diogo Costa into a save worthy of a highlight reel. He lost out to the Portuguese goalkeeper again in their duel in the 65th minute.

On the opposite flank, Lamine Yamal had another challenging encounter with Nuno Mendes, who once again made life very difficult for him. In the 16th minute, set up by Rodri, Yamal unleashed a curling shot that Diogo Costa parried with difficulty, but little else came from him. He became more involved at the start of the second half, losing an initial duel with Nuno Mendes before beating him in a second attempt, which led to Mendes injuring himself in pursuit. With his "tormentor" off the pitch, Yamal found his stride, displaying a level of play more akin to what he shows at Barcelona, helping Spain push Portugal onto the back foot.

Almost all of Spain's attacking threat in the first half originated from Dani Olmo's feet. His brilliant pass to put Oyarzabal through on goal in the 8th minute was a warning not to give him too much space, and in the 29th, only Renato Veiga's attentiveness prevented him from setting up Lamine.

Up front, Oyarzabal tested Diogo Costa's alertness with a shot from outside the box in just the third minute. Five minutes later, he failed to capitalize on a brilliant pass from Olmo that left him one-on-one, shooting wide and squandering his second clear opportunity of the match.

In the 75th minute, he was replaced by Ferrán Torres. The decision to bring on the Barcelona forward was understandable. Torres came on to unsettle the Portuguese defense with constant runs in behind, particularly short diagonal movements, and it was from one of his counter-movements that the decisive goal originated. He dragged Rúben Dias out of the defensive line, creating space for Merino's run, and then delivered a perfect ball for his teammate to finish.

Unai Simón (6); Pedro Porro (6), Pau Cubarsí (6), Aymeric Laporte (6), and Marc Cucurella (6); Rodri (8), Pedri (5), and Dani Olmo (7); Lamine Yamal (6), Mikel Oyarzabal (5), and Álex Baena (6); Ferrán Torres (7), Merino (8), Fabian Ruiz (6), and Borja Iglesias (-).