Los Angeles, July 11: Spain has secured a spot in the semifinals of the 2026. In a thrilling quarterfinal match, Spain showcased an impressive performance, defeating Belgium 2-1.
This marks the first time since 2010 that Spain has reached the semifinals. They will face France, the team that reached the finals in the last World Cup. From the outset, Spain displayed aggressive gameplay, consistently pressuring Belgium’s defense.
Spain found success in the 30th minute. After a brilliant run by Lamine Yamal, Pedro Porro delivered a low cross into the box. Belgium’s goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois initially blocked a shot from Dani Olmo, but Fabian Ruiz capitalized on the rebound, scoring and giving Spain a 1-0 lead.
However, Belgium quickly equalized in the 41st minute. Timothy Castagne’s excellent cross set up Charles De Ketelaere, who scored with a superb header, leveling the match at 1-1. This goal ended Spain’s goalkeeper Unai Simon’s streak of six consecutive clean sheets, along with his record of 650 minutes without conceding a goal in the World Cup.
In the 71st minute, Belgium faced a significant setback when star goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was injured and had to leave the field. This was his 21st match in the Cup, placing him second in the list of goalkeepers with the most matches played, behind Germany’s Manuel Neuer (23 matches). Substitute goalkeeper Senne Lammens was brought on to replace him.
As the match appeared to head into extra time, Spain’s Mikel Merino, who came on in the 86th minute, scored the decisive goal just two minutes later, giving Spain a 2-1 lead.
The match concluded dramatically in the final minutes. Mikel Merino converted a shot from Pau Cubarsi that the new Belgian goalkeeper failed to handle properly. This marked Merino’s second consecutive match where he scored a crucial goal as a substitute, having previously netted the winning goal against Portugal in the pre-quarterfinals.