Key Points
- Spain beat Belgium 2-1 on July 10 to reach the World Cup semifinals.
- Mikel Merino scored the 88th-minute winner after Belgium keeper Senne Lammens spilled a shot.
- Fabián Ruiz opened the scoring; Charles De Ketelaere equalized for Belgium.
- Spain will face France in the semifinal, set for July 14 in Dallas.
Spain are into the World Cup semifinals, and they got there the way they have all tournament — late, and through Mikel Merino. The European champions beat Belgium 2-1 at SoFi Stadium on Friday, with Merino stabbing home an 88th-minute winner to book a last-four meeting with France.
Fabián Ruiz put Spain ahead in the first half before Charles De Ketelaere pulled Belgium level, setting up a tense final quarter. The decisive moment came from Belgium's patchwork goalkeeping situation: the Red Devils were already without captain Youri Tielemans, hurt in the warmup, and lost first-choice keeper Thibaut Courtois to injury in the second half. In the 88th minute, substitute Senne Lammens spilled a routine shot in his own area, and Merino — quickest to the loose ball — slammed home the rebound, as ESPN reported.
The winner fit a pattern. Merino has become Spain's designated closer at this tournament, and the goal that eliminated Portugal came the same way — off the bench, late, decisive. This is not the vintage tiki-taka Spain that overwhelms opponents; it is a side content to grind out 2-1 wins and trust that its depth produces one more moment than the other team can. On a night Belgium's plans fell apart in goal, Spain simply needed someone alert enough to punish it.
The semifinal is the heavyweight tie the bracket promised: Spain against France, who dispatched Morocco 2-0 behind Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé, on July 14 in Dallas. Spain arrive on a knockout run that started slowly — they were held to a 0-0 draw by World Cup debutants Cape Verde in the group stage before finding form with a 3-0 win over Austria — and now sit two games from a second world title.
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