Mikel Merino needed two touches and barely two minutes to send Spain into the World Cup semifinals. The substitute scored in the 88th minute of Friday’s quarterfinal at SoFi Stadium, pouncing on a rebound to give Spain a 2-1 win over Belgium.
Spain had controlled the ball and most of the chances, but Belgium was still level when Merino replaced Ferran Torres in the 86th minute. Pau Cubarsà tested backup goalkeeper Senne Lammens from distance, Lammens spilled the shot, and Merino arrived first to finish the loose ball. Spain will face France in Tuesday’s semifinal in the Dallas area.
Fabián Ruiz had put Spain ahead in the 30th minute with a right-footed finish from the center of the box. Belgium answered 11 minutes later when Charles De Ketelaere met Timothy Castagne’s cross with a header, becoming the first player to score against Spain at this World Cup.
The equalizer changed the score more than the pattern. Spain finished with 67.8 percent possession, a 17-5 advantage in shots and eight efforts on target to Belgium’s two. Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made five saves before leaving with an apparent thigh injury in the 71st minute, forcing Lammens into the game for the closing stretch.
Merino delivers another late knockout goal
Merino’s timing has become part of Spain’s route through the bracket. Four days after his stoppage-time goal settled Spain’s round-of-16 win over Portugal, he came off the bench again and decided another knockout game. This finish wasn’t elegant, but his reaction was quicker than the Belgium defense’s when Lammens couldn’t hold CubarsÃ’s shot.
Belgium’s quarterfinal exit followed a convincing round-of-16 victory over the USMNT, when De Ketelaere scored twice. He delivered again at SoFi Stadium, and Belgium stayed within one clean action of advancing despite spending long periods without the ball. The late push produced one promising opening, but Aymeric Laporte cleared Axel Witsel’s volley from the box.
Spain has now gone 37 matches unbeaten since March 2023. It will take that run into a semifinal against a France team that eliminated Morocco 2-0 in the other side of the bracket. Belgium leaves after making Spain work deeper into the night than any opponent had managed at this tournament, only for Merino to settle another tie from the bench.
