TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Spain booked their place in the semifinals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after edging Belgium 2-1 in their quarterfinal clash at Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood, California, on Friday, July 10.
Fabian Ruiz opened the scoring in the 29th minute before Charles De Ketelaere equalized for Belgium in the 74th minute.
Substitute Mikel Merino then netted the winner in the 88th minute to send La Roja into the last four of the tournament for only the second time.
Merino, who also scored the decisive goal in Spain's round-of-16 victory over Portugal, capitalized on a spilled save by Belgium goalkeeper Senne Lammens, firing the rebound into the roof of the net shortly after coming off the bench.
"I've done this again, and it's happened to me again," Merino said after the match, as quoted by ESPN. "If you're ready and you try, it can happen for you. I'm very pleased."
Fabian Ruiz Opens the Scoring
De la Fuente made a notable change to his starting lineup by selecting Fabian Ruiz ahead of Pedri, and the decision paid off in the first half.
Following the first-half cooling break, Ruiz reacted quickest to a rebound to put Spain ahead and give the European side control of the match.
"We know what these players will give us when we put them in," De la Fuente said.
"Pedri and Fabian are among the best players in the world. We make decisions based on the opponent and where each player can contribute the most."
Courtois Injury Blow for Belgium
Belgium suffered a major setback in the second half when first-choice goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was forced off in tears in the 71st minute with an apparent injury.
His replacement, Senne Lammens, was unable to prevent Spain's late winner. The goalkeeper failed to hold Pau Cubarsi's long-range effort, allowing Merino to pounce on the loose ball and score the decisive goal.
Belgium had managed to level the match after falling behind, but Spain's persistence eventually proved decisive as the 2010 world champions moved one step closer to another World Cup final appearance.
The semifinal against France will pit two of Europe's football powerhouses against each other, with a place in the World Cup final at stake.
Spain Equal Argentina's Unbeaten Record
According to FIFA, the win extended Spain's unbeaten run to 36 matches since their defeat to Colombia, when Daniel Munoz scored the only goal.
The streak equals Argentina's 36-game unbeaten run between 2019 and 2022 under Lionel Messi and leaves Spain just one match shy of Italy's all-time international record of 37 consecutive games without defeat, set between 2018 and 2021.
Spain will now seek to continue that run when they face France in the semifinals, with a place in the World Cup final at stake.
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