Spain 2-1 Belgium: Merino in the 88th and INTO THE SEMIFINALS! France await in Dallas
- Spain beats Belgium 2-1 and qualifies for the World Cup semifinals, where it will face France in Dallas
- Mikel Merino scores the decisive goal in the 88th minute, repeating his pattern of appearing in the final moments of important matches
- Spain maintains its unbeaten record in the tournament and achieves its best streak since the 2010 South Africa World Cup with six consecutive wins
TO THE SEMIS, LAD! 🇪🇸 Spain knocked out Belgium (2-1) at the SoFi Stadium and are among the world's top four. And yes, same old story we know by heart: tight match, proper sweating… and Mikel Merino popping up in the dying minutes to send us all mental. This bloke should have to buy a ticket only from the 80th minute onwards.
The match. Spain did their thing: possession, patience and chances. The reward came in the 30th with a worldie from Fabián Ruiz from outside the box. But this Belgium aren't the ones from years gone by in name… and very much are in threat: De Ketelaere, the Belgian tournament's star man, levelled in the 41st from one of the very few they had. Half-time: all square and time to suffer.
The second half was relentless. La Roja pinned Belgium in their box: chances for Lamine, for Oyarzabal, stunning saves from Courtois… until the Madrid keeper went down injured with barely anything left and Lammens had to come on. And in the 88th, the usual script: ball in the box, Merino at the finish, debutant Lammens weak in response… and 2-1. Against Germany in the Euros, against Portugal in the last 16 and now against Belgium: the man for the occasion has done it again.
The stat. Spain remain unbeaten in the tournament and are on their best World Cup run since South Africa 2010: six wins in six matches. Belgium, who'd delivered the perfect display against the United States, go home with their heads held high against the tournament's best team. Because yes, I'm going to say it: right now Spain are the best team in this World Cup.
What's next: THE BLOCKBUSTER. Semi-final against France, Tuesday 14th July at 21:00 (Spanish time) at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas — the same ground where we knocked out Portugal. The rematch of Euro 2024's semi (that 2-1 with Lamine's screamer), with Mbappé nursing an ankle injury and a France side who've been struggling. Fear? None. Desire? ALL OF IT.
📊 Match report: lineups, stats and scoreline · 📰 How France got here: report on the 2-0 over Morocco · 🇪🇸 Spain's path
Frequently asked questions
How did the Spain-Belgium World Cup 2026 quarter-final end?
Spain 2-1 Belgium, on 10 July 2026 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. Goals from Fabián Ruiz (30') and Mikel Merino (88') for Spain; De Ketelaere (41') equalized for Belgium.
When does Spain play the World Cup 2026 semi-final?
Spain will play the semi-final against France on Tuesday 14 July 2026 at 21:00 (Spanish peninsular time) at AT&T Stadium in Dallas. It can be watched on DAZN.
What happened to Courtois in the Spain-Belgium match?
Thibaut Courtois was injured in the closing minutes of the match and was substituted by Senne Lammens, who was not decisive on Merino's winning goal in the 88th minute.
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