- Spain vs Belgium: Mikel Merino came off the bench for the second consecutive match to score a dramatic late winner and send Spain into the 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinals.
- La Roja defeated the Red Devils 2-1 on Friday, July 10, at SoFi Stadium.
- Spain will face France in the semifinal next Tuesday in Dallas.
For the second consecutive match, Arsenal’s Mikel Merino came off the bench to score a dramatic late winner as Spain edged Belgium 2-1 in Los Angeles on Friday night to book a World Cup semifinal clash against France.
With just two minutes of normal time remaining, plus seven minutes of added time, Pau Cubarsi unleashed a powerful 22-yard effort that Senne Lammens, making his World Cup debut after replacing Thibaut Courtois, could only spill.
Merino and Nico Williams reacted quickest to the loose ball, with Merino winning the race to slot home, just as he did against Portugal, sealing Spain’s place in the World Cup semifinals for the first time since 2010 and only the third time in their history.
By the half-hour mark, Spain had already broken the deadlock through Fabian Ruiz after Jeremy Doku switched off and spotted Pedro Porro’s overlapping run too late, leaving the marauding right-back free down the flank.
The Spurs defender surged into the box and fizzed a pass to Dani Olmo, whose tame effort drifted toward the centre-left of goal.
Courtois got down well to parry the shot with a strong right hand but could only divert it toward the left side of the penalty spot, where Ruiz had followed up to smash the rebound goalward.
The effort took a deflection off Timothy Castagne before beating Courtois.
Coming into this quarterfinal, Spain had kept clean sheets in all of their matches, but that defensive record finally came to an end.
Belgium equalised through a diving near-post header through Charles De Ketelaere after a delightful Kevin De Bruyne pass released Castagne beyond Marc Cucurella down the right.
It was an outstanding team move, with Leandro Trossard and Doku heavily involved in the build-up, followed by a pinpoint cross and a clever run across Cubarsí’s shoulder.
Charles De Ketelaere met it perfectly, powering his header into the back of the net to level the score with his third goal of the tournament.
The Red Devils, who had eliminated co-hosts the USA with a dominant 4-1 victory, pushed hard for a late equaliser to force extra time but could not find another breakthrough as Spain kept their World Cup dream alive.
The last time La Roja reached the semifinals, they went on to lift the trophy in South Africa in 2010.
A far tougher challenge now awaits Spain as they take on the formidable France on Tuesday in Dallas, with a place in the World Cup final at stake.
Spain vs Belgium – FIFA World Cup 2026 Quarterfinal – July 10, 2026
- Spain starting XI: Unai Simón, Pedro Porro, Aymeric Laporte, Pau Cubarsí, Marc Cucurella, Fabián Ruiz, Álex Baena, Rodri, Dani Olmo, Lamine Yamal, Mikel Oyarzabal.
- Belgium starting XI: Thibaut Courtois, Brandon Mechele, Maxim De Cuyper, Timothy Castagne, Nathan Ngoy, Kevin De Bruyne, Hans Vanaken, Nicolas Raskin, Leandro Trossard, Jérémy Doku, Charles De Ketelaere.
Read more about other World Cup teams in 2026 below:
Morocco national football team 2026
Argentina national football team 2026
Mexico national football team 2026
Spain national football team 2026
Brazil national football team 2026
France national football team 2026
Senegal national football team 2026