Alex KirklandJul 6, 2026, 08:22 PM ET

Spain captain Rodri said the team still has "room for improvement" after a late 1-0 win over Portugal in the World Cup round of 16.

A tense game in Arlington, Texas was decided by an added-time goal from substitute Mikel Merino -- with Cristiano Ronaldo leaving the field in tears in his last World Cup appearance for Portugal -- as Spain qualified for Friday's quarterfinal in Los Angeles.

Manchester City midfielder Rodri was named the game's MVP after a performance that saw him take the most touches (106), complete the most passes (87), and win the ball back most often (7) of any player on the pitch.

"There's a lot of room for improvement," Rodri said when asked if this was Spain at their best. "Now we have to rest, and keep improving... We're very similar teams, we want the ball, and we want to have personality.

"It's about small details, I've said it before. The first chance we had in the whole game [for Merino's goal] came when we got inside... It's something to learn from for the next games, we have to be sharper, because we can do a lot of damage."

"He can have better or worse days, but he's the leader of this team, he's exceptional," coach Luis de la Fuente said when asked about Rodri. "He gives us defensive balance as well as in attack. That's why he's the best in the world in his position. And we have Martín Zubimendi, who's the second-best as well. That's how lucky we are. Questioning [Rodri] confuses me."

Spain had 15 shots on goal but created only two clear chances in the match -- the first, early on, for Mikel Oyarzabal, and the second for Merino.

"In football nowadays, in the last third you have to speed things up," Rodri said. "When we broke their lines, we were maybe taking an extra touch. You have to turn quickly and find the players in attack. That's how the goal came."

Spain advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time since winning its only World Cup title in 2010. La Roja will play either the United States or Belgium on Friday in Inglewood, California.

Source: https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/49291209/mvp-rodri-shines-vs-portugal-seeks-more-spain-world-cup-quarterfinals