Mikel Merino rose to head home two minutes from time to send Spain through to the 2026 World Cup semi-finals with a 2-1 win over Belgium at SoFi Stadium. Fabián Ruiz had given Luis de la Fuente’s side the lead on the half-hour, only for Charles De Ketelaere to level before the break, setting up a tense second half in which Belgium defended deep and caused genuine problems on the counter. It took a late set-piece moment to finally separate them, and Spain were not going to complain about the margin.
Key Moments
- 30′, Fabián Ruiz opens the scoring for Spain with a normal finish, rewarding a period of sustained possession pressure from De la Fuente’s side.
- 41′, Belgium level through Charles De Ketelaere, who converts to make it 1-1 just before the interval and hand Rudi Garcia’s side a lifeline.
- 43′, Pau Cubarsí picks up a yellow card for holding, adding a nervy note to Spain’s final two minutes of the first half.
- 55′, Spain double substitute: Fabián Ruiz, the opener scorer, is withdrawn alongside Alex Baena as De la Fuente reshapes his midfield for the second half.
- 85′, Kevin De Bruyne is booked for holding, and one minute later he is substituted off, effectively ending Belgium’s best creative outlet.
- 88′, Mikel Merino heads home to make it 2-1, settling the quarter-final and punching Spain’s ticket to the semi-finals.
Tactical Breakdown
Spain controlled this match in every measurable sense. They finished with 68 percent possession, 665 passes at 90 percent accuracy, 17 total shots to Belgium’s five, and an expected-goals figure of 2.08 against Belgium’s 0.37. The 4-2-3-1 built through Rodri at the base of midfield, with Fabián Ruiz free to carry forward and Lamine Yamal stretching the right channel. Belgium’s goalkeeper made six saves to keep it competitive for as long as he did.
De la Fuente’s 55th-minute double change, bringing off Ruiz and Baena, was a signal that Spain intended to keep pushing rather than manage the 1-1. The move freed Dani Olmo, who entered late, to create overloads in the final third and force Belgium into a higher defensive line. When Merino arrived at the back post in the 88th minute, the structural pressure Spain had maintained all evening finally paid off.
Belgium’s problem was one of territory as much as quality. Rudi Garcia’s side managed just one corner kick, completed only 78 percent of their passes, and spent most of the second half pinned back inside their own half. De Ketelaere’s equalizer came from one of Belgium’s rare moments in transition, but the team never manufactured enough of those to seriously threaten a second. De Bruyne’s yellow card and early withdrawal in the 85th and 86th minutes removed their only consistent ball-carrier at the worst possible moment.
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Knockout results, aggregate scores across legs; winners in bold, penalty shootouts noted.
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Verdict
Spain advance to the 2026 World Cup semi-finals and will carry real momentum into their next fixture, having now shown they can win ugly when a cleaner victory eludes them. Belgium exit a tournament in which they showed defensive discipline but could not sustain enough attacking threat at quarter-final level. For De la Fuente’s side, the question now is whether they can match this level of control against what will almost certainly be a more dangerous opponent in the next round.