La Roja Reign Supreme: Spain Sink Belgium to Book Dallas Semi-Final With France
Sports desk /News aggregator using GeminAI
Posted Saturday 11 July,2026
LOS ANGELES — Mikel Merino cemented his legacy as Spain’s ultimate tournament savior, striking in the 88th minute to fire La Roja into the FIFA World Cup 2026™ semi-finals with a breathless 2–1 victory over Belgium.
The late drama inside a packed Los Angeles Stadium not only punched Spain’s ticket to a heavyweight final-four showdown against France in Dallas, but also stretched their historic national-record unbeaten run to an astonishing 37 matches.
Match Report: Merino Magic Strikes Again
In a tactical chess match between two European titans, Spain manager Luis de la Fuente flipped the script early by starting Fabián Ruiz over Pedri. The gamble paid immediate dividends in the 30th minute. Following dynamic work out wide by Lamine Yamal and Pedro Porro, Dani Olmo forced a sharp save from Belgian keeper Thibaut Courtois, only for the predatory Ruiz to latch onto the loose ball and smash it into the roof of the net.
Spain’s defense entered the match riding five consecutive clean sheets, with Unai Simón approaching a World Cup-record 650 minutes unbreached. However, the resilient Red Devils shattered that streak just before the interval. In the 41st minute, Kevin De Bruyne threaded a signature pass to Timothy Castagne, whose pinpoint cross allowed Charles De Ketelaere to ghost past Pau Cubarsí and head home a brilliant equalizer.
[30'] ⚽ Spain 1 - 0 Belgium (Fabián Ruiz)
[41'] ⚽ Spain 1 - 1 Belgium (Charles De Ketelaere)
[88'] ⚽ Spain 2 - 1 Belgium (Mikel Merino)
The Turning Point
The complexion of the match shifted completely in the final 20 minutes due to a cruel twist of fate for Belgium. In the 71st minute, world-class shot-stopper Courtois suffered a severe thigh injury, leaving the pitch in tears. Shortly after, an isolated De Bruyne picked up a yellow card and was substituted, leaving Belgium leaderless on the pitch
Smelling blood, De la Fuente introduced Merino in the 85th minute. Just three minutes later, teenager Pau Cubarsí unleashed a vicious long-range drive. Belgium’s cold substitute keeper, Senne Lammens, failed to cleanly handle the bouncing ball, and Merino reacted fastest on his second touch of the game to poke home the winning rebound.
Belgium launched a frantic stoppage-time assault spearheaded by Romelu Lukaku, but an acrobatic, last-ditch clearance from Aymeric Laporte ensured Spain held firm until the final whistle.
Spain’s relentless tournament march now takes them to Dallas next week for a monumental semi-final clash against tournament favorites France.
With La Roja playing with a fierce, pragmatic resolve and France looking equally formidable, the upcoming battle in Texas shapes up to be one of the greatest spectacles in modern World Cup history.
