Mikel Merino stars again as Spain edges Belgium 2-1 in the World Cup quarterfinals
- On Friday, July 10, 2026, Spain defeated Belgium 2-1 at SoFi Stadium in the World Cup quarterfinals, with substitute Mikel Merino scoring the decisive goal in the 88th minute to advance to the semifinals.
- Fabian Ruiz put Spain ahead in the 30th minute off a rebound, but Charles De Ketelaere equalized in the 41st minute, ending Spain's tournament-record shutout streak of 649 minutes without conceding.
- Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois exited in the 71st minute with a thigh injury; replacement Senne Lammens spilled Pau Cubarsi's low shot in the 88th minute, allowing Merino to pounce on the rebound.
- Merino's strike marked his second consecutive late winner as a substitute, making the Arsenal midfielder the first player to score winning knockout goals in two different matches off the bench in World Cup history.
- Spain will face France on Tuesday, July 14, in Dallas for a spot in the World Cup final, extending an unbeaten streak that has reached 37 matches across all competitions.
439 Articles
439 Articles
Spain is Belgium 2:1. The victory goal at the 88th minute was scored by a mid-defendant, Mickel Merino, who had been replaced just two minutes before, and in the same way that the Spaniards won Portugal at the 1/8th final four days ago: Merino was replaced at the 85th minute and scored the winning goal six minutes later. In the semi-finals, the Spaniards will play with the French.
Mikel Merino shot Spain in the semi-finals of the World Cup. Absolute football reporter Vinzent Tschirpke observes parallels to Deniz Undav.
With some of its great stars physically limited, it was again Mikel Merino to give Spain the qualification, with another goal in the last moments of the game against a Belgium that tried to imitate some of Portugal's behaviors, without result. Jorge Jesus was presented as national selector and brings at least a culture of demand. With Rui Malheiro and Tomás da Cunha.
After Mikel Merino's last minute hit against Belgium 2:1, the Spaniards look forward to the »Finale vor dem Finale« against France with hope.
Helena Independent Record
Montana StandardMerino lifts Spain past Belgium
Mikel Merino came off the bench again to save Spain, scoring the go-ahead goal in the 88th minute to defeat Belgium 2-1 in a World Cup quarterfinal match on Friday in Inglewood, Calif.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 41% of the sources are Center
![[your]NEWS](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgroundnews.b-cdn.net%2Finterests%2Ffb6dc495f74049f513563c33352175eaa0ecd509.jpg%3Fwidth%3D60&w=128&q=75)
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
