World Cup 2026: Merino's Late Winner Sends Spain Past Belgium in the Quarter-finals

Merino strikes at 88 to break Belgian hearts

This World Cup 2026 quarter-final belonged to Spain, but they had to sweat for it. Spain beat Belgium 2-1 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, and the reward is a semi-final on 14 July against France — a heavyweight matchup now locked in.

The numbers tell the story of control. Spain held 68% possession and piled up 665 total passes to Belgium's 314, generating 2.08 expected goals (xG — a measure of how likely a shot is to become a goal) against just 0.37 for Belgium. Fabián Ruiz opened the scoring, Charles De Ketelaere hit back before the break, and Mikel Merino — on the field for barely two minutes — settled it late.

Spain put eight shots on target and forced six saves out of the Belgian goal, while Belgium managed only two shots on target of their own. On a clear, mild day around 25 degrees, Spain simply had more of everything that mattered, and they closed it out when it counted.

How Spain and Belgium lined up at SoFi

From Fabián's opener to Merino off the bench

Spain took the lead on the half-hour when Fabián Ruiz found the net in the 30th minute, capping a spell of heavy Spanish pressure. Belgium's answer came quickly and cleanly: in the 41st minute Charles De Ketelaere finished off a Timothy Castagne assist to level things up, and the Red Devils went into the break on terms after Pau Cubarsí picked up a yellow card in the 43rd.

The second half turned into a chess match. Spain refreshed their attack just before the hour, bringing on Ferran Torres for Alex Baena and Pedri for goalscorer Fabián Ruiz. Belgium responded with a triple change around the 60-minute mark, introducing Axel Witsel, Romelu Lukaku and Jefferson Seys, then swapped goalkeepers with Senne Lammens replacing Thibaut Courtois in the 71st.

The decisive move came late. Mikel Merino came on for Dani Olmo in the 86th minute and needed only until the 88th to head — or force — Spain back in front. Kevin De Bruyne, booked in the 85th, was withdrawn moments before the winner. Stoppage time brought two more cautions, for Aymeric Laporte and Witsel, but Spain saw it out.

futbol.so fans backed Spain — and got it right

The futbol.so community leaned toward Spain going in, and the official model agreed, making Spain the most likely winner of the three-way outcome. The most-picked scoreline across the community was a tight Spain 1-0, so the fans nailed the winner even if Belgium's early equaliser made the final margin a little wider than expected.

Fans from Argentina, Austria and Colombia all pointed the same way, favouring Spain with scorelines ranging from a narrow 1-0 to a 3-1. The 2-1 that actually landed sat right in that band. Belgium's goal — their opponents' first concession that had breached a previously unbroken Spanish backline this tournament — kept it interesting, but the community's read on the result held up.

Video highlights

Spain vs. Belgium FULL REACTION 🍿 Can they beat France in the Semifinals? | ESPN FC

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MERINO ancora decisivo nel finale, Roja in semifinale: Spagna-Belgio 2-1 | FIFA World Cup | DAZN

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Lamine Yamal Nearly Scores | Spain 2-1 Belgium | FIFA World Cup 2026™

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HIGHLIGHTS - Spain v Belgium | Big Heavyweight Clash | FIFA World Cup 2026

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FIFA WC 2026 | Spain - Belgium 2:1 | (četvrtfinale ) | 10.07.2026.

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World Cup: Spain vs Belgium

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World Cup: Spain vs Belgium

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World Cup: Spain vs Belgium

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Spain vs. Belgium preview and predictions 🍿+ Lamine Yamal injury update | ESPN FC

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Spain move on with their attacking identity intact and a defence that finally got tested and still held. Belgium can take heart from the fight they showed, hanging with a possession machine and drawing level for a spell, but two shots on target was never going to be enough against this Spanish side.

Next up is the big one: a World Cup 2026 semi-final against France on 14 July. That's a matchup worth clearing your schedule for.