Merino the late hero again: Spain beat Belgium (2-1) and set up a semi-final with France
Spain are in the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup. At Los Angeles' SoFi Stadium, La Roja beat Belgium (2-1) with a now-familiar script: a Mikel Merino goal in stoppage time, just like against Portugal in the round of 16. Fabián Ruiz put Spain ahead on 30', De Ketelaere equalised for Belgium on 41' (assisted by Castagne) and Merino made it 2-1 on 88'. Spain were vastly superior —68% possession, 16 shots to 5 and 2.04 expected goals to 0.38— but ran into a colossal Thibaut Courtois, the highest-rated player of the match (7.9) despite the defeat. France, who had already knocked out Morocco, await in the semi-finals.
Some finishes are written in the same hand. Spain won again at the death, did it again through Mikel Merino, and again left the feeling that this team, when it matters, always finds a way. At Los Angeles' SoFi Stadium, La Roja beat Belgium (2-1) to reach the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup, where France await. The ending was a carbon copy of the one they lived in the round of 16 against Portugal: a Merino goal in stoppage time to spark the party.
Luis de la Fuente went with a 4-2-3-1, Rodri and Fabián Ruiz in the double pivot and the trio of Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo and Álex Baena behind Oyarzabal. Opposite, Rudi García set up a well-drilled Belgium, with Courtois in goal and the creativity of De Bruyne, Doku and Trossard in service of De Ketelaere. The Belgian plan was to hold firm and strike on the break, and it nearly worked.
Spain dominated from start to finish, but needed patience. The reward for their pressure came in the 30th minute: Fabián Ruiz popped up to beat Courtois and score the 1-0 that La Roja's football deserved. The lead, however, did not last long. In the 41st, Belgium levelled through their best player: Charles De Ketelaere finished off a Timothy Castagne assist for the 1-1 that stood at the break.
The second half was a siege. The numbers make it plain: 68% possession, 16 shots to 5, seven on target to two and a chasm in expected goals (2.04 to 0.38). But every time Spain got close, up popped Thibaut Courtois. The Belgian goalkeeper, author of a monumental display, was in fact the highest-rated player of the match (7.9), a recognition as fair as it was cruel for a man who ended up eliminated.
With the game drifting towards extra time, the decisive blow arrived. In the 88th minute, Mikel Merino appeared in the box once more to bundle in the 2-1 and repeat the exact scene he had authored against Portugal. Stoppage time, yellow cards for Laporte and Witsel included, was pure suffering, but Spain managed their advantage to the final whistle.
La Roja thus qualify for a semi-final against France, who had already done their job with a 2-0 win over Morocco. It will be a clash of champions, a meeting of the two nations who have lifted the biggest trophies most often over the past decade. Spain, who have made the stoppage-time goal their signature in this knockout run, stand among the world's last four with the feeling that their best is still to come.