The latest
Spain reached the World Cup semifinals after Mikel Merino came off the bench to score an 88th-minute winner in a 2-1 victory over Belgium.
Fabián Ruiz opened the scoring after Thibaut Courtois parried Dani Olmo’s first-time shot, but Belgium responded before half-time when Charles De Ketelaere headed in from Timothy Castagne’s cross. It was the first goal Spain had conceded at the tournament.
The decisive moment came late in the second half, after Courtois had gone off injured. Senne Lammens replaced him in goal, but spilled Pau Cubarsí’s shot into Merino’s path, allowing the midfielder to score another late knockout winner for Spain.
Details
- Spain lead: Fabián Ruiz opened the scoring after Courtois saved Olmo’s first-time shot. The goal rewarded Spain’s early control and De la Fuente’s decision to start Ruiz ahead of Pedri.
- Belgium response: De Ketelaere brought Belgium level before half-time, heading in Castagne’s cross after a quick move involving Jérémy Doku and Kevin De Bruyne. The goal ended Spain’s clean-sheet run at this World Cup.
- Courtois injury: Belgium lost Courtois in the second half after he appeared to suffer a muscle injury. He was replaced by Lammens, leaving Belgium without their first-choice goalkeeper for the closing stages.
- Late winner: Merino came on in the 86th minute and scored in the 88th after Lammens spilled Cubarsí’s shot. It was another late knockout goal from the midfielder after his winner against Portugal in the previous round.
- Spain’s control: Spain had most of the ball and created more chances, finishing with 17 shots to Belgium’s five and eight on target to Belgium’s two. Lamine Yamal, Oyarzabal and Olmo were all involved as Spain kept Belgium under pressure. De la Fuente’s side also extended their unbeaten run to 36 games, one short of Italy’s all-time record.
What to watch
- Spain face France in the semifinal after needing late winners against Portugal and Belgium in back-to-back knockout games. The main question is whether Spain can turn their control into earlier goals, especially against a France side that has already shown it can manage knockout games.
- Norway play England in the next quarter-final, with Erling Haaland and Harry Kane central to the match. Both teams rely heavily on their forwards, so the game could come down to which striker gets better service and takes his chances.
