Portugal 0-1 Spain: When will Lamine Yamal have his big World Cup 2026 moment?

Thank you, Mikel Merino, for sparing us another half-hour of what was a humdrum 90 minutes at AT&T Stadium, with the Arsenal man scoring late on to seal Spain's 1-0 victory over Portugal in the World Cup 2026 last-16 encounter.

Luis de la Fuente's men had control of proceedings for much of the match without it ever lighting up as many observers hoped.

Mikel Oyarzabal could not replicate his round-of-32 heroics on Monday, while the Marc Cucurella-Alex Baena link-up on the left flank was not as effective against the 2016 European champions.

In the end, Merino's expertise at deciding games from the bench continued; it is a role he is versed in at Arsenal and one he expertly filled against Germany at Euro 2024, scoring a 119th-minute winner to seal a quarter-final victory.

Lamine Yamal set up Dani Olmo's goal on the day, but the wide attacker's influence was otherwise muted, just as it was against Portugal and how it has mostly been at the 2026 World Cup.

Here, Sports Mole asks whether the Barcelona winger will have his big moment in the quarter-finals after a so-far run-of-the-mill debut on the global stage.

Lamine Yamal: How has Spain winger fared at World Cup 2026?

Without a doubt, Yamal was a big miss in La Roja's false start against Cape Verde, highlighted by his direct, aggressive running after his 71st-minute introduction.

Although De la Fuente's team could not unpick an organised Blue Sharks side, the winger's return after missing nearly two months of action boded well for the 2010 world champions.

If the insipid first 71 minutes of the tournament-opening draw left observers scratching their heads, the upswing in performance after the teenager's introduction was instructive.

With him in the side, Spain's tendency to revert into passing for the sake of it was removed. However, performances since have been mixed.

Although the 18-year-old's presence almost means that he is double-teamed by most opponents, effectively leaving one free man, others have stepped up with decisive goals and assists.

Yamal, though, has hitherto failed to sparkle anywhere near as consistently as he can.

Instead, the youngster has been outshone in North America by colleagues who have arguably been more decisive.

The wide attacker has taken more shots than anyone against Saudi Arabia (five), Austria (six) and Portugal (three), but only one has resulted in a goal.

While this is not in any way criticising the teenager, who has carried a threat with his aggressive ball-carrying, the absence of a decisive contribution may ultimately hurt the forward.

With Spain winning, Yamal's lack of end product falls under the radar; when the tables turn, expect the youngster to face fierce opprobrium.

Will Spain's defence protect Yamal at the 2026 World Cup?

If Yamal keeps firing blanks and is unable to register an assist, the 18-year-old can be confident in what is happening behind him.

La Roja have attacking quality, but De la Fuente's men have a defensive meanness about them that has not gone unnoticed.

The 2010 World Cup winners have yet to let in a goal after five matches in North America, with Unai Simon now entering the quarter-final against Belgium or the USMNT having not conceded in 609 minutes of World Cup action.

Unai Simon has now gone 609 minutes without conceding at the World Cup.

Extending his record for the longest clean sheet streak by a goalkeeper in the tournament’s history. ? pic.twitter.com/lU0StgvZ7s
— Squawka (@Squawka) July 6, 2026

Attacks win games, but defence wins you titles; if Spain continue to leverage their defensive resoluteness, their attack has enough quality from the start or from the bench to decide games.

That counts for something, even as Yamal searches for his big announcement on his debut at the Mundial.