Spain beats Belgium 2-1 to advance to World Cup semifinals

Spain beats Belgium 2-1 to advance to World Cup semifinals

Mikel Merino cemented his role as Spain's ultimate super-sub on Friday, July 10, 2026, scoring the game-winning goal in the 88th minute to lift Spain to a 2-1 victory over Belgium. The result sends Spain to the World Cup semifinals for the first time since they won the title in 2010.

The match, held in Inglewood, California, saw Merino achieve a historic milestone as the first substitute in World Cup history to score the winning goal in two different knockout stage matches. This latest heroics followed his injury-time goal against Portugal in the round of 16.

Spain took the lead in the 30th minute. Fabián Ruiz pounced on the rebound and scored. However, Belgium equalized in the 41st minute when Atalanta forward Charles De Ketelaere headed home a cross from Timothy Castagne.

De Ketelaere’s goal was a landmark moment in the tournament, as it was the first goal conceded by Spain in the 2026 World Cup. Prior to this, goalkeeper Unai Simón had not allowed a goal in a World Cup-record 650 minutes dating back to the tournament in Qatar.

The game shifted dramatically in the second half due to a series of injuries and substitutions. Belgium captain Youri Tielemans had been removed from the starting lineup after an injury during warmups, joining defender Amadou Onana on the sidelines.

In the 71st minute, Belgium's starter Thibaut Courtois — who has played in 21 World Cup matches, second only to Germany's Manuel Neuer — was forced to leave the match. After receiving treatment during a hydration break, the Real Madrid keeper left the field in tears. He was replaced by Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens, marking the first time in the last four World Cup tournaments that a goalkeeper other than Courtois has played for Belgium.

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente introduced Merino in the 86th minute. Two minutes later, Merino scored on his second touch of the match. The goal came after Lammens failed to control a long shot from Pau Cubarsí, leaving the ball open for Merino to pounce and knock it home.

"I’ve done this again, and it’s happened to me again, so it would seem that coincidence exists,"

Mikel Merino, Spanish forward, via AP

Belgium attempted a late surge for an equalizer led by substitute Romelu Lukaku, but Spain's Aymeric Laporte cleared the best chance with an acrobatic volley in the second minute of injury time.

The victory extends Spain's unbeaten streak to 36 matches, bringing them within one game of tying the all-time record of 37 set by Italy. For Belgium, the loss ended a streak of 18 consecutive unbeaten matches across all competitions.

Belgium coach Rudi Garcia lamented the lack of luck in the closing stages, though he noted his team was on equal footing with Spain for much of the contest. Meanwhile, de la Fuente described the upcoming semifinal as a clash of giants.

Spain will face tournament favorite France on Tuesday in Arlington, Texas. France enters the matchup having recently defeated Morocco 2-0 in their own quarterfinal, with Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele both scoring. Neither Spain nor France has lost a match in this year's tournament.