He does it AGAIN! Spain beat Belgium with Merino goal, into semis

He does it AGAIN! Spain beat Belgium with Merino goal, into semis The first semifinal of the 2026 FIFA World Cup is set. France will face Spain next Tuesday (14).  In front of 70,462 fans at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, La Roja beat Belgium 2-1 this Friday (10).  There was a mistake by Courtois’ substitute, who got injured during the game, and another goal from the seemingly destined Mikel Merino.  Spain have now gone 36 matches without tasting defeat. Only Italy, from 2018 to 2021, had a longer run, with 37 games.  Check out the highlights soon.  Yamal shows up and Belgium respond Luis de la Fuente opted for Fabián Ruiz in place of Pedri. Spain had more possession and attacking momentum. What was missing was real danger. Then Pedro Porro combined with Lamine Yamal and saw Dani Olmo denied by Courtois. But Fabián Ruiz pounced on the rebound (30'). It was Yamal, too, who forced a fine save from Courtois from a free kick and then almost doubled the lead with an individual effort. Belgium, who still hadn’t found their rhythm, did not take long to respond. All it took was a little more space for De Bruyne to create, Castagne to send the ball into the box, and De Ketelaere — after stepping out of an offside position twice — to finish it off (41'). It was the first goal Spain have conceded in the World Cup. And it ended record-holder Unai Simón’s streak of 649 minutes without conceding — dating back to the round of 16 in the Qatar edition.  Crucial mistake and LETHAL Merino Both coaches went to work in the second half amid an uncertain scenario on the pitch. Belgium had already lost Tielemans to injury minutes before the match and then saw Courtois — until then the standout performer — unable to continue in the 71st minute. Spain were the better side. But they still struggled to break down a Belgium team looking to spring counterattacks. And the goalkeeper change would be remembered in the 88th minute. Cubarsí struck from outside the box, Lammens failed to hold on, and the alert Merino — who had come on two minutes earlier — tucked home. It was the second straight game in which he made the difference.  Belgium did not give up, but despite Unai Simón adding some late drama, Spain booked their place in the semis.  What now? 📅 Spain and France will face off next Tuesday (14) at AT&T Stadium in Dallas. With a place in the final on the line. Against Norway, England, Argentina or Switzerland. The other semifinal will be decided this Saturday (11).  This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.