Spain Defeats Belgium 2-1 to Become France's Opponent in the Semi-Final

In the 2026 Dünya Kupası quarter-final match, Spain defeated Belgium 2-1 at the Los Angeles Stadyumu to book their place in the semi-finals. The Spanish side, managed by Luis de la Fuente, controlled the game by maintaining possession for the majority of the match and put their opponents under pressure. However, they had to wait until the final minutes to break down the resilience of the Belgian defensive line. The hero of the match was Mikel Merino, who came off the bench to score another crucial goal. With this result, 'La Roja' will take to the pitch against France, their next hurdle in the tournament, to reach the final.

From the beginning of the match, Spain dominated the game with Lamine Yamal's threat on the right wing and their high possession rate. Belgium, on the other hand, opted to set up a low block in defense to close down Spanish attacks. In the first half, the Belgians struggled to even cross the midfield, and the visiting team was largely confined to their own half. Despite this, Spain's dominant play did not translate into clear goal opportunities for a long time. Belgium's goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, did everything in his power to protect his goal and tried to withstand the opponent's attacks.

In the 29th minute of the match, Spain found the expected goal and opened the scoring. Following a successful one-two between Pedro Porro and Lamine Yamal, Porro broke quickly down the right flank and delivered a low cross. Although goalkeeper Courtois parried Dani Olmo's shot, Fabián Ruiz tapped the rebound into the empty goal, putting his team 1-0 ahead. However, Spain's lead did not last long. In the final minutes of the first half, Belgium did not hesitate to respond with attacks, and Charles De Ketelaere scored the equalizer, giving his team hope.

In the second half, the physical problems Belgium faced seriously affected the course of the match. Kevin De Bruyne, one of the team's most important players, was substituted after showing signs of injury and receiving a yellow card, having come on for Alexis Saelemaekers. However, the real blow was when the match's outstanding goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, suffered an injury and had to leave the pitch in tears. Senne Lammens, who took over the goal from Courtois, conceded another goal at a critical moment of the match.

In the extra minutes of the match and even in stoppage time, Spain managed to take the lead once again. Mikel Merino, who came on from the bench and gave momentum to the game, scored the winning goal for his team. Goalkeeper Lammens failed to control Pau Cubarsí's fierce shot from outside the penalty area, and the quickly moving Merino sent the rebound into the empty net, determining the score. After this historic match, watched by 70.492 spectators at the Los Angeles Stadyumu, Spain became the side to advance. While Belgium bid farewell to the tournament, the Spanish team will face their arch-rivals and strong team, France, in the semi-final.