A late Mikel Merino goal gave Spain a 2-1 win over Belgium in the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarterfinal at the Los Angeles Stadium on Friday.
Spain progressed into its second-ever World Cup semifinal and will face France in the last four next Tuesday.
Merino, who scored an injury-time winner against Portugal in the previous round, pounced on a spill from substitute goalkeeper Senne Lammens to fire the ball into the roof of the net in the 88th minute to clinch Spain the victory.
Spain vs Belgium - As it happened
Fabian Ruiz, who made his first start since the opening group game, opened the scoring in the 30th minute before Charles de Ketelaere equalised for Belgium in the 41st minute.
Belgian skipper Youri Tielemans had to be replaced from the starting XI after he suffered an injury during warm-up, while veteran ‘keeper Thibaut Courtois went off injured in the final quarter of the game.
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Published on Jul 11, 2026