Merino Punishes Late Belgium Goalkeeping Error as Spain Reach World Cup Semi-Finals

What happened: Spain are through from their World Cup quarter-final against Belgium after Mikel Merino scored an 88th-minute winner. BBC Sport reports that the goal came when Merino pounced on a mistake by substitute goalkeeper Senne Lammens, turning a late Belgian error into the decisive moment of the tie.

Watch the highlights:

Why it matters: In knockout football, the timing matters almost as much as the goal itself. An 88th-minute winner leaves very little room for recovery, especially in a quarter-final where both teams are managing risk, fatigue and the possibility of extra time. Spain did not just get a late goal; they got the kind of late swing that changes the entire tournament bracket in one action.

Tournament impact: Spain move on to the World Cup semi-finals, while Belgium are out. That is the clean consequence confirmed by the source. For Spain, the value is obvious: they remain alive in the competition and avoid the extra minutes that can drain a squad before the next round. For Belgium, the exit is shaped by a specific late mistake rather than a broad tactical conclusion that can be safely drawn from the short source summary.

Key detail: The goalkeeper context is important. Lammens is described as a substitute goalkeeper, and the mistake came late enough to decide the quarter-final. That does not automatically tell us why he was on the pitch, how Belgium had defended before the incident, or whether Spain had been the stronger side overall. It does tell us that Belgium’s margin for error disappeared at the worst possible time.

What to watch: Spain’s semi-final preparation now becomes the next tournament question: recovery, selection and whether Merino’s late contribution affects his role in the following match. Belgium’s review will inevitably focus on the decisive goalkeeping error, but any fuller assessment needs more match information than the source summary provides.

Confidence: Confirmed by BBC Sport: Merino scored an 88th-minute winning goal for Spain in a World Cup quarter-final against Belgium after a mistake by substitute goalkeeper Senne Lammens. Still needing follow-up: the final scoreline, Belgium’s reason for using a substitute goalkeeper, the broader match flow, disciplinary details and Spain’s next opponent.