Spain advances to World Cup semi-final after Merino exploits Lammens error

Spain reached the World Cup semi-final with a 2-1 victory over Belgium on Friday at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, advancing to the last four for the first time since 2010.

Mikel Merino scored the decisive goal in the 88th minute after substitute goalkeeper Senne Lammens failed to control a shot from Pau Cubarsí from outside the area. The rebound fell to Merino, who scored with only his second touch of the match.

Fabián Ruiz had opened the scoring for Spain in the 30th minute, capitalizing on a rebound after Thibaut Courtois could not hold a shot from Dani Olmo. Charles De Ketelaere equalized for Belgium in the 41st minute of the first half.

Courtois, Belgium's starting goalkeeper and a Manchester United player, exited the match in the 71st minute due to a left thigh injury. The 34-year-old, who had played every minute of Belgium's tournament so far, left the field in tears. Lammens, a 24-year-old Manchester United goalkeeper making his World Cup debut, replaced him.

Belgium had reached the quarter-final after defeating the United States 4-1 in the previous round. However, the team suffered significant losses before and during Friday's match. Captain Youri Tielemans, a key midfielder, was injured during the warm-up and did not play.

The loss of Courtois proved consequential. Lammels had limited experience at the international level, having made his senior debut for Belgium in November 2025 in a 7-0 victory over Liechtenstein in qualifying. He arrived at the World Cup with only two appearances and as Courtois's backup.

Spain's victory ended a 664-minute streak without conceding a goal across World Cup tournaments. The sequence began after Spain conceded to Japan in the 2022 World Cup group stage and extended through Spain's four matches in the 2026 group stage, where the team defeated Saudi Arabia and Uruguay, drew with Cape Verde, and beat Austria 3-0.

De Ketelaere's goal in the 41st minute broke the record, surpassing the previous mark of 559 minutes set by Switzerland between the 1994 and 2010 World Cups.

During the match, Belgium appealed for a penalty in the 56th minute when the ball struck Rodri's hand in the Spanish penalty area following a cross from Nicolas Raskin. English referee Michael Oliver and the VAR did not award the penalty.

Spain will face France in the semi-final on Tuesday, July 14 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. France advanced to the semi-final after defeating Morocco 2-0 in their quarter-final match. The semi-final will be Spain's third appearance in that stage of the World Cup, with the previous occasion being 2010, when Spain won the tournament.