Mikel Merino netted the winner late on as Spain edged out Belgium 2-1 to reach the World Cup semi-finals. The European champions were the better side at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, but were troubled at times by the pace of Jeremy Doku and the ingenuity of the returning Kevin De Bruyne.
First-Half Opener and Belgian Response
Fabian Ruiz, who controversially replaced Pedri in the Spanish midfield, opened the scoring in the first half. He gobbled up a rebound from a Dani Olmo shot that Thibaut Courtois had spilled. The Red Devils levelled through Charles De Ketelaere, the AC Milan man, who got ahead of his marker at the near post to glance beyond Unai Simon and score the first goal past Spain at this summer’s tournament.
Second-Half Drama and Merino's Decisive Strike
Lamine Yamal tested Courtois, while top scorer Mikel Oyarzabal was quiet throughout. Luis de la Fuente threw on his trusty supersub Merino, who bundled home three minutes from time to send Spain into the last four. They will now face France, who defeated Morocco 2-0 on Thursday.
Injury Blow for Belgium
There was a serious injury blow for Belgium as Courtois was forced off with what appeared to be a left thigh injury. The Real Madrid goalkeeper was replaced by Manchester United’s first-choice shot-stopper Senne Lammens, making his first appearance at this year’s World Cup. It was not a good afternoon for Lammens, as he parried Pau Cubarsi’s long-range effort right into the path of the incoming Merino, who tucked the ball away to cue bedlam among the Spanish fans in the SoFi.
