Goalkeeper Costa keeps Portugal alive as Spain pose early threats; Ronaldo has been silent

Mikel Oyarzabal grimaced at his poor finish as Spain came close to scoring inside 10 minutes of their FIFA World Cup round of 16 clash with Portugal at the Dallas Stadium.

Dani Olmo had released Spain's leading scorer in the tournament (four) with a neat through ball, but the striker placed his left-footed shot wide of Diogo Costa's goal.

In a tactical first half in which neither side tried to be ultra-aggressive, Spain have had the best chances. Lamine Yamal cut inside on his left and tried to beat Costa at the far post, but the goalkeeper made a smart save. Alex Baena recycled the loose ball and went for the opposite end of Costa's goal, but the Porto man sprung up and parried that effort too.

At the other end, Portugal's talisman Cristiano Ronaldo tried a stepover and attempted to beat Unai Simon at his near post, but in vain.

Portugal returned re-energised from the hydration break. Simon's brave intervention prevented Joao Felix from getting a header down at the near post. The goalkeeper anticipated Ronaldo to try something fancy on the rebound, and he was right on the money as the superstar tried a tame overhead flick. Nuno Mendes rattled the bar with an audacious effort from range.

The winner of the match will play either Belgium or co-hosts the United States in the quarterfinals in Los Angeles on July 10. Spain won the World Cup in 2010, while Portugal are yet to lift the coveted trophy.