Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino once again emerged as Spain’s match-winner, scoring in the 88th minute to seal a 2-1 triumph over Belgium in Los Angeles and send La Roja into the World Cup semi-finals.
Match Report
Spain took the lead after 30 minutes through Fabian Ruiz, who was handed a starting spot ahead of Pedri. However, Belgium restored parity just before the break when Charles De Ketelaere became the first player to score against Spain at this tournament.
With Belgium defending stubbornly, the contest appeared destined for extra time. But Thibaut Courtois’ second-half injury changed the course of the match.
Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens came on for the injured Courtois but endured a difficult introduction. He failed to hold Pau Cubarsi’s powerful effort, allowing Merino to pounce on the rebound and calmly score the winner, setting up a semi-final clash against France on Tuesday.
Belgium’s problems started before the match, as captain Youri Tielemans suffered an injury during the warm-up, forcing the returning Kevin De Bruyne to take over the captaincy.
Rudi Garcia’s side frustrated Spain in the opening stages before Fabian finally broke the deadlock. Courtois had initially produced an excellent save to deny Dani Olmo, but Fabian reacted quickest to convert the rebound after the ball deflected off Timothy Castagne.
Lamine Yamal, who played a key role in the build-up to the opener, became increasingly influential, testing Courtois with a dangerous free-kick before bending another effort narrowly wide.
Despite Spain controlling much of the play, Belgium equalised four minutes before half-time. De Ketelaere got in front of Pau Cubarsi to meet Castagne’s cross from the right and headed beyond Unai Simon.
Belgium carried that momentum into the second half, with Maxim De Cuyper firing into the side netting. However, they suffered another setback when Courtois, shortly after denying Mikel Oyarzabal from close range, appeared to injure his thigh and left the field in tears.
As stoppage time approached, Lammens’ mistake proved decisive. He spilled Cubarsi’s long-range strike, and substitute Merino reacted quickest to smash the loose ball into the roof of the net.
Merino delivers again off the bench
Merino continued his reputation as Spain’s impact substitute. He had already come off the bench to score the decisive goal against Portugal in the round of 16 and repeated the feat against Belgium. The Arsenal midfielder also became the first Spain player to score two World Cup winning goals in the 80th minute or later.
Belgium ultimately paid the price for losing Courtois. Lammens became the first goalkeeper other than the Real Madrid shot-stopper to feature for Belgium at a World Cup since Geert De Vlieger against Brazil in 2002, but his costly error overshadowed the occasion.
Spain’s overall display justified their progression. They finished with 17 shots and generated 2.08 expected goals (xG), while Belgium managed only five attempts and an xG of 0.37.
Belgium still threatened on the counter and became the first side to score against Spain at this World Cup. It also ended Spain’s remarkable run of six consecutive World Cup clean sheets, during which they had gone 649 minutes without conceding. Their previous goal allowed in the competition came in a 2-1 defeat to Japan during the 2022 group stage.
Under Luis de la Fuente, Spain have now advanced from all seven knockout matches they have played at major tournaments, including the World Cup and European Championship. Among European coaches, only Vittorio Pozzo enjoyed a longer perfect start, guiding Italy through his first eight knockout ties between 1934 and 1938.
