Merino Sends Spain Past Belgium and Into World Cup Semi-Finals

What happened:

Watch the highlights:

Spain are into the World Cup semi-finals after Mikel Merino delivered another late tournament intervention, according to The Guardian. Introduced as a substitute at 85:32 with Spain still searching for a breakthrough against Belgium, Merino reacted quickest to a loose ball at 87:28 and scored the goal that put Spain through.

The decisive sequence came after Pau Cubarsi's shot was not held by Senne Lammers, leaving Merino positioned to punish the mistake. The Guardian framed the moment around Belgium's frustration too: Thibaut Courtois, described as the player who might have prevented it, could only watch from the bench because of injury.

Why it matters:

The immediate consequence is clear: Spain advance to face France in next week's semi-final. That alone makes this one of the defining moments of Spain's tournament, but the identity of the scorer adds another layer. Merino had already been the player associated with late, high-leverage Spain goals, including the European championship semi-final two years ago and the World Cup quarter-final four days before this match.

That pattern does not mean Spain can rely on stoppage-time rescue acts forever. It does, however, show they have a substitute capable of staying mentally sharp in compressed, chaotic endings. In knockout football, that is not a small thing. The difference between a tired defence clearing danger and a midfielder gambling on the second ball is often the difference between a flight home and another week in camp.

Tournament impact:

Spain now move on to Dallas for a semi-final against France. The source does not provide the scoreline beyond the decisive goal context, nor does it detail the full tactical shape of the match, so the clean takeaway is not that Spain dominated Belgium. It is that Spain found a late solution when they were struggling to force one.

For Belgium, the story is harsher. The source points directly to Courtois' absence from the pitch and Lammers' error in the goalmouth sequence. That does not reduce the match to one injury or one spill, but in tournament terms it gives Belgium a painful what-if: their most important goalkeeper was not in position to handle the moment that ended their run.

What to watch:

Spain's semi-final preparation now turns toward France, and Merino's role becomes an obvious selection question. The source confirms he came on very late here, not that he is about to start. Still, when a substitute repeatedly changes knockout matches, opponents have to plan for both Spain's opening structure and the late-game version of Spain that includes him.

Confidence:

Confirmed by the source: Merino entered at 85:32, scored at 87:28, Spain beat Belgium to reach a World Cup semi-final against France, and Courtois was on the bench injured when the goal happened. Follow-up is still needed on the full match statistics, Belgium's injury details, and Spain's selection plan for France.