Heartbreak For Belgium! Merino's Late Goal Fires Spain Into FIFA World Cup Semi-Finals

Spain defeated Belgium 2-1 to reach the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-finals, where they will face France after goals from Fabian Ruiz and Mikel Merino.

Spain will now face France in the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-finals.

Source : X, @fifaworldcup_es

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Key points generated by AI, verified by newsroom

• Spain defeated Belgium 2-1, reaching World Cup semi-finals.
• Fabian Ruiz opened scoring; Belgium's De Ketelaere then equalized.
• Courtois' injury allowed substitute Merino to score winning goal.

Spain vs Belgium FIFA World Cup: Spain booked their place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-finals after overcoming Belgium 2-1 in a hard-fought quarter-final at Los Angeles Stadium. Goals from Fabian Ruiz and substitute Mikel Merino proved decisive as Luis de la Fuente's side extended their remarkable unbeaten streak and moved one step closer to lifting the World Cup trophy. The victory also sets up a mouthwatering last-four clash against France at Dallas Stadium, with two European heavyweights set to battle for a place in the final.

Ruiz & Merino Deliver For Spain

Spain made a bold selection call by handing Fabian Ruiz a starting berth ahead of Pedri, and the decision paid immediate dividends.

He opened the scoring after reacting quickest to convert the rebound following Thibaut Courtois' save from Dani Olmo.

Lamine Yamal continued to trouble the Belgian defence throughout the contest and came close to doubling Spain's lead with a curling effort that flashed narrowly wide.

Belgium, however, responded just before half-time. Kevin De Bruyne unlocked the Spanish defence with a perfectly weighted pass to Timothy Castagne, whose inviting delivery was expertly headed into the net by Charles De Ketelaere after timing his run to perfection.

Courtois Injury Proves Costly

Belgium suffered a major setback in the 71st minute when goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was forced off through injury.

His replacement, Senne Lammens, was soon called into action but could only parry Pau Cubarsi's long-range strike into a dangerous area.

Mikel Merino, introduced only moments earlier, reacted fastest to the loose ball and fired home the rebound to restore Spain's advantage and ultimately secure victory.

Despite conceding for the first time in 650 World Cup minutes through De Ketelaere's goal, Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon still surpassed Walter Zenga's previous tournament record of 517 consecutive minutes without conceding, set by Italy in 1990.

The win also stretched Spain's unbeaten run to 36 matches since their defeat to Colombia. That streak now equals Argentina's remarkable run between 2019 and 2022 and leaves Spain just one game short of Italy's all-time record of 37 consecutive unbeaten internationals.