Fabián Ruiz’s early strike and a late Mikel Merino rebound goal move Spain past a Courtois-less Belgium and into a July 14 semifinal against France in Arlington.
Spain is through to its first World Cup semifinal since it won the tournament outright in 2010, beating Belgium 2-1 in a quarterfinal at SoFi Stadium, rebranded Los Angeles Stadium for the tournament, in Inglewood, California. Fabián Ruiz put La Roja ahead in the first half, Charles De Ketelaere leveled it before the break, and Mikel Merino, on the field for only two minutes, turned in the winner off a spilled save in the 88th minute to send Spain to a July 14 semifinal against France at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Ruiz Breaks the Deadlock, Belgium Answers Before Halftime
Spain controlled the opening half hour, and the goal came from a move down the right flank. Lamine Yamal and Pedro Porro combined to feed Dani Olmo, whose shot was parried by Thibaut Courtois, and the rebound sat up for Ruiz, who hammered it home in the 30th minute for his first goal of the tournament.
Belgium answered before the break. In the 41st minute, De Ketelaere got the better of teenage defender Pau Cubarsí and headed in a cross from Timothy Castagne, ending a run of 650 minutes without conceding a goal for Spain that stretched back to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. According to FIFA’s official match report, the two sides went into the locker room level at 1-1, with Spain’s much-discussed defensive record broken for the first time in the tournament and Belgium suddenly believing it could complete an upset.
Belgium’s Night Unravels
Belgium was already patching over gaps before kickoff. Captain Youri Tielemans was scratched from the starting lineup after picking up an injury in the warmup, with Hans Vanaken drafted in just 12 minutes before the match began. Midfielder Amadou Onana had already been ruled out for the remainder of the tournament with a torn ACL suffered in the round of 16 win over the United States, a loss the team had been absorbing all week.
The bad news kept coming on Friday. Around the 71st minute, goalkeeper Courtois was forced off with an apparent thigh injury and replaced by Senne Lammens, sending a Belgium side already missing its captain and a key midfielder into the closing stages further shorthanded, and without the goalkeeper who had anchored its run to the quarterfinals.
Merino’s Second Act
The winner belonged to Merino, and to a mistake Belgium’s back line will not want to watch again. Introduced in the 86th minute, the Arsenal midfielder pounced two minutes later on a rebound after Lammens spilled a long-range effort from Cubarsí, poking the ball in from close range to complete the turnaround and set off a wave of celebration on Spain’s bench.
It was the second straight knockout match in which Merino has decided the outcome after entering as a substitute. He also scored the stoppage-time winner against Portugal in the round of 16, the goal that ended Cristiano Ronaldo’s run at this World Cup and sent Spain into this quarterfinal in the first place. Two knockout matches, two goals, both from the bench, and both decisive.
A Series Spain Now Leads
Friday’s result also settled an old score. Spain and Belgium had met twice before at a World Cup, splitting those meetings evenly. Belgium won the first, a 1986 quarterfinal that finished 1-1 after extra time before Belgium advanced 5-4 on penalties. Spain won the second, a 2-1 group-stage victory at the 1990 tournament built on goals from Alberto Górriz and Míchel. With Friday’s win, Spain now leads the all-time World Cup series between the two nations 2-1, turning a deadlocked rivalry into an advantage for the first time in 36 years.
Spain now turns to France, which reached a third straight World Cup semifinal by beating Morocco 2-0 earlier in the bracket. The two sides meet on July 14 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, with a place in the final on the line and a semifinal pairing that neither side will treat lightly given how this tournament has already chewed up favorites. More coverage of the tournament, including the round of 16 and quarterfinal results that shaped this bracket, is available on Playbook Wire’s soccer hub.
