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Spain defeated Belgium this Friday by 2-1 in the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Cup, held at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, and advanced to the semifinals of the tournament with a comeback achieved in the final moments.
The reflect a duel in which Spain dominated with authority but had to wait until the 88th minute to seal the victory.
Fabián Ruiz opened the scoring in the 30th minute with a goal that put La Roja in the lead. However, Charles De Ketelaere —the standout player for Belgium in the tournament, having scored a brace against the United States in the round of 16— equalized in the 41st minute, leaving the match level before halftime.
The tie held firm throughout the second half despite Spain's overwhelming dominance, with 69% possession, 16 shots compared to only five from Belgium, and seven attempts on target as opposed to just two from the Europeans.
A striking fact marked the final stretch: the starting Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was substituted in the 71st minute by Lammens, an unusual situation that affected the end of the match.
The decisive blow came in '88. Mikel Merino, who had entered the field just two minutes earlier in place of Dani Olmo, scored the goal that broke the Belgian resistance and sparked the Spanish celebration.
It was not the first time that Merino appeared at a crucial moment: the Arsenal midfielder had already scored the last-minute goal in the 91st minute that eliminated Portugal in the round of 16 on July 6, becoming Spain's most decisive player in this World Cup.
Belgium, which had reached the quarter-finals after a 4-1 victory over the United States, is eliminated from the tournament. Spain, on the other hand, advances to the semi-finals as one of the strongest teams in the competition: they finished first in Group H with seven points and did not concede any goals during the group stage.
The next opponent of La Roja will be France, the first confirmed semifinalist after eliminating Morocco 2-0 on July 9. The Spain-France match is scheduled for July 14 in Arlington, Texas.
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