FIFA WC
Mikel Merino's late strike sends Spain past Belgium into FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-finals
Spain booked their place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-finals after Mikel Merino scored a dramatic late winner in a 2-1 victory over Belgium at Los Angeles Stadium on Friday (early Saturday in India).
Spain will face France in the first semi-final of the 2026 World Cup at Dallas Stadium (AT&T Stadium) in Arlington, Texas, on July 14 at 2 pm local time (IST 12:30 am on July 15).
Ruiz scores first
Fabian Ruiz opened the scoring for Spain before Charles De Ketelaere restored parity for Belgium.
Merino then struck in the closing stages to send Luis de la Fuente's side into a high-profile semi-final against France at Dallas Stadium.
Spain started brightly and created several early chances against Belgium.
The breakthrough came in the 30th minute after Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois parried Dani Olmo's effort into the path of Fabian Ruiz, who converted the rebound to put Spain ahead.
Lamine Yamal continued to trouble the Belgian defence with an energetic display and came close to extending Spain's advantage after cutting inside and firing narrowly wide.
Belgium's equaliser
Belgium equalised just before the interval through Charles De Ketelaere.
Kevin De Bruyne unlocked the Spanish defence with an incisive pass to Timothy Castagne, whose precise cross was headed home by De Ketelaere after he timed his run to stay onside.
Charles De Ketelaere scores the only goal for Belgium. Photo: FIFA.com
The goal ended Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon's remarkable run of 560 consecutive World Cup minutes without conceding.
According to tournament statistics, Simon had surpassed Walter Zenga's previous World Cup record of 517 minutes, set during Italy's campaign at the 1990 FIFA World Cup.
Merino delivers decisive blow
Belgium suffered a setback in the 71st minute when goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was forced off through injury.
His replacement, Senne Lammens, was unable to hold a powerful long-range effort from Pau Cubarsi late in the match, allowing substitute Mikel Merino to react quickest and drive the loose ball into the net in the 88th minute.
The goal proved decisive as Spain held on to secure a place in the last four.
Spain extend remarkable unbeaten run
The victory stretched Spain's unbeaten run to 36 matches since their defeat to Colombia, where Daniel Munoz scored the only goal.
The sequence equals Argentina's 36-match unbeaten streak between 2019 and 2022, achieved with Lionel Messi, and trails only Italy's 37-game run recorded between 2018 and 2021.
Coach confident ahead of France clash
Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente praised his players' determination after the victory and looked ahead to the semi-final against France.
"It's the character of the team. It's an honour to coach a team so committed and eager to improve. It's fair to think we can beat France. We're going to work hard for it. We're the only team that has managed to beat them twice. A great team is going to face another great team," said De la Fuente.
Merino eyes World Cup glory
Match-winner Mikel Merino expressed his delight after helping Spain move within two victories of lifting the FIFA World Cup trophy.
"I'm thrilled. I doubt it will happen again. We're two matches away from winning a World Cup. It's a dream come true. Hopefully, we can achieve it. Everyone is watching these matches. Being able to bring this joy is a source of pride. Against France, at this stage, we couldn't expect anything less than an elite team," said the Spain midfielder.
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