Mikel Merino, the Spanish national team midfielder, scored his team's second goal in the 2026 World Cup quarter-final match against Belgium, which took place at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on Friday. This late goal allowed Spain to advance to the tournament semi-finals against France in a tense game that ended with a 2-1 victory.
Dramatic Match Finale
The stunning finish at SoFi Stadium set the stage for an exciting confrontation between European champions Spain and tournament favorites France, which also features Kylian Mbappé. However, for Belgium's substitute goalkeeper Senne Lammen, who entered the field late, it was a bitter disappointment as he could not hold off a shot that went into Merino's area.
The dramatic finale occurred after Fabian Ruiz opened the scoring for Spain. Charles De Ketelaer then scored a goal for Belgium, despite the flow of the game, before halftime.
Problems in the Belgian Squad
Belgium, having fielded Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Dokou in the starting lineup, faced serious difficulties: captain Yuri Tymans sustained a hamstring injury during warm-ups, which heavily impacted the team. After Amadou Onana was substituted due to an anterior cruciate ligament tear, the Red Devils were forced to play in midfield, which was almost at the level of the substitutes, against the ball-possessing Spaniards.
Ruiz, who replaced Pedri, quickly began dominating possession in tandem with Rodri, and the Barcelona youngster Lamine Yamal made an early shot that narrowly missed the far post. However, Belgian winger Dokou was active, penetrating from the left flank and delivering a pass to De Ketelaer, a forward who had previously scored twice against the United States on Monday.
First Goal and Reply
Nevertheless, Spain scored first. In the thirtieth minute, Pedri Porro executed a sharp combination with Lamine Yamal, followed by a masterful pass from Dani Olmo near the sideline. Olmo's shot was saved by Thibaut Courtois, but the ball reached Ruiz, who sent it into the net. Suddenly, everything turned in Spain's favor. They passed the ball across half of Belgium as if this World Cup quarter-final were a training session, in front of a high-level audience attended by Brad Pitt, Penélope Cruz, and Noel Gallagher.
But Belgium, which remarkably recovered and scored a goal after falling behind 2-0 in the Round of 32 against Senegal, did not panic. They equalized in the 41st minute. De Bruyne delivered a penetrating pass towards Timothy Castagne, whose cross found De Ketelaer, who perfectly timed his run to beat the young Barcelona player Pau Cubarsí with a header.
This was the first goal Spain conceded in the World Cup. Incredibly, Belgium almost managed to score another goal before halftime. Coming out of a corner kick, De Ketelaer's pass to the completely free Dokou was barely intercepted by Olmo.
After Half-Time and Goalkeeper Injury
After the break, Yamal became more active, nearly shooting at Mikel Oyarzabal with an inside-foot cross that was well blocked by Courtois. Belgium's coach Rudi Garcia brought on experienced striker Romelu Lukaku, who had been scoring from the bench in three consecutive matches. The game became more open. A Belgian cross hit Rodri's hand, but this was deemed accidental contact. Oyarzabal took a shot that was deflected from close range.
Courtois, visibly upset, was forced to leave the field due to injury in the 70th minute. He was replaced by Lammen, the 24-year-old Manchester United goalkeeper, making his World Cup debut under extremely difficult circumstances. This turned into a nightmare.
Merino's Winning Goal
In the 88th minute, Cubarsí took a low shot from distance, and Lammen should have held the ball. Instead, substitute Mikel Merino was the first to reach the rebound and powerfully sent it into the goal. This was Merino's second consecutive winning goal from the bench, after he scored the decisive goal against Portugal in stoppage time on Monday.
Later, Alexis Saelemaekers bypassed Unai but could not find Lukaku in front of the open goal. When the final whistle blew, Courtois approached to hug the distraught Lammen, while other members of Belgium's 'Golden Generation' stood motionless and bewildered. For Spain, however, it was hugs and fist bumps before attention quickly shifted to their big match against France.
