Spain 2-1 Belgium: Merino Strikes Late Again to Send Spain Through

Result

Spain 2-1 Belgium. Mikel Merino did it again. For the second straight World Cup knockout match, the substitute midfielder scored a late winner, this time in the 88th minute of the quarter-final at SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California, to send Spain into their first World Cup semi-final since 2010. Spain will face France in the last four.

Fabian Ruiz had given Spain the lead on the half-hour, hammering home a rebound after Thibaut Courtois saved Dani Olmo's initial effort. Charles De Ketelaere equalised for Belgium just before the break, heading in a Timothy Castagne cross and ending Spain's remarkable run of 649 minutes without conceding at a World Cup. The match turned on Courtois's injury with 18 minutes to play. His replacement, Senne Lammens, spilled a long shot from Pau Cubarsi, and Merino was there to crash the rebound home.

Pool impact

Spain have become the ultimate Last Man Standing drama pick. Two knockout wins, both decided by a late substitute goal from the same player. If you picked Spain, you survived, but you aged. They are the tournament's most resilient side, but they keep leaving it until the final minutes. For pool players eyeing the semi-final against France, the question is whether Spain can keep getting away with this against the tournament's best side.

Score Predictor players who backed 2-1 Spain earned a solid payout. Three goals and a one-goal margin was a popular expectation for this tie, and 2-1 was among the more commonly backed exact scores. Belgium scoring broke Spain's clean-sheet run, which will have cost anyone who backed a Spain shutout.

Pre-match forecasts

Spain entered as marginal favourites, with most forecasts calling a narrow win. The expectation of a one-goal game held true, but the manner of it, a late winner after an injury to Belgium's first-choice goalkeeper, was not on anyone's bingo card. Belgium were respected as dangerous opponents and delivered a performance that justified that respect, leading at various points in the underlying numbers despite Spain's possession dominance.

Standout stats

Spain's unbeaten run now stands at 37 matches, dating back to March 2023. Merino has scored two goals at this World Cup, both as a substitute, both in the 88th minute or later, and both winners. De Ketelaere's goal was the first Spain have conceded in 649 minutes of World Cup football, a run stretching back to the group stage of Qatar 2022. Courtois was making his final World Cup appearance; Kevin De Bruyne was also substituted late on in what may be his last match at this level.

What comes next

Spain face France in the semi-finals in Arlington, Texas, on July 14. It is a meeting of the two most impressive European sides left in the tournament. Belgium go home after an 18-match unbeaten run was ended in the most painful fashion.

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