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Manchester United teammates Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot experienced deep disappointment at the World Cup as Portugal were eliminated from the tournament by Spain.

Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino netted a dramatic late winner to propel Spain into the quarter-finals, leaving Portugal to endure yet another painful World Cup exit.

The match remained tightly balanced for most of the contest, with both teams creating promising chances in front of goal.

Neither side could find a breakthrough, and the game appeared headed for extra time until substitute Merino broke the deadlock. Latching onto a pass behind the defence, he found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper and calmly slotted the ball home to secure Spain’s progression. Bernardo Silva came close to equalising for Portugal, but his header narrowly missed the target, sailing over the crossbar.

Fernandes started the match under the guidance of Portugal manager Roberto Martinez, while Dalot entered the fray in the second half.

During his time on the pitch, Fernandes attempted one shot and, displaying his trademark creativity, produced two key passes for his teammates.

The Manchester United captain delivered two accurate crosses from five attempts and completed four of his ten long passes. He recorded 67 touches overall but was unsuccessful in his only dribble attempt. Defensively, Fernandes contributed with two clearances and five recoveries. The 31-year-old also showed strength in aerial challenges, winning his only header, although he managed to win just one of his three ground duels.

Dalot, who was given 19 minutes of action, came on in an attempt to influence the game but was unable to turn the tide.

The right-back made his presence felt defensively, winning his sole tackle and one of two ground duels, while also making three recoveries.

Dalot had 14 touches of the ball and completed seven of his eight passes, achieving an individual passing accuracy of 88%.

(Statistics sourced from Sofascore)

Following Portugal’s exit, both Fernandes and Dalot will take some time off before returning to Manchester United for pre-season preparations, which are scheduled to begin in the coming weeks.