2026 World Cup: Spain is counting on Merino again to beat Belgium. Tuesday's stellar semifinal against France.

Spain qualified for the 2026 World Cup semifinals with a 2-1 victory over Belgium in a tight match, decided late on, once again by Mikel Merino. After the Red Devils temporarily equalized and Courtois' injury, Spain scored the winner in the 88th minute and are now preparing for a spectacular showdown against Mbappé's France on Tuesday, July 14, in Arlington.

Spain-Belgium 2-1

At SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, the first half hour was devoid of drama, with Spain controlling possession and Belgium playing solid defense. In the 30th minute, Spain took the lead: Dani Olmo fired a shot, Courtois poorly parried it, and Fabian Ruiz tapped in the rebound to make it 1-0. The PSG midfielder thus repaid the faith of de la Fuente, who chose him over Pedri.

Belgium reacted and found the equaliser in the 41st minute through De Ketelaere , with his first shot on target: Castagne's cross and the winning header ended Unai Simon's unbeaten run, which had stalled at 650 minutes.

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In the second half, in the 71st minute, Belgium lost Courtois to a left leg injury, which had kept their hopes afloat until then. Lammens came on, while de la Fuente played the Merino card . The former Newcastle player, already a key figure in the final minutes against Portugal, capitalized on a short rebound from Lammens and scored the decisive 2-1 goal in the 88th minute. Belgium tried everything in stoppage time, but the Spanish defense held firm.

With this victory, Spain continues their clean streak: 36 consecutive matches without defeat and a semi-final victory against Deschamps' France.