Merino strikes again as Spain edge Belgium 2-1 to reach World Cup semifinal

Spain reached their first World Cup semifinal since 2010, beating Belgium 2-1 in a tense quarterfinal at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. Fabián Ruiz put Spain ahead in the 30th minute, but Charles De Ketelaere levelled for Belgium just before halftime. It stayed 1-1 until the 88th minute, when substitute Mikel Merino struck the winner off a rebound.

Merino has now made a habit of this. He came off the bench in the Round of 16 too and scored the only goal to knock out Portugal. This time he needed just under two minutes after coming on to make the difference. Pau Cubarsí's shot was spilled by Belgium keeper Senne Lammens, and Merino was first to the loose ball to poke it in.

Belgium went into the game already missing captain Youri Tielemans, who picked up an injury in the warmup. It got worse for them in the second half when first-choice goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois went off injured, bringing on Lammens. It was Lammens' error that ultimately cost Belgium the match.

Spain dominated the numbers, with 18 shots to Belgium's 5 and 68% possession. Four yellow cards were shown late on, including bookings for Kevin De Bruyne, Aymeric Laporte, Pau Cubarsí, and Axel Witsel, as both sides pushed hard in the closing stages.

Spain move on to face France in the semifinal on Tuesday, a repeat of their tense group meeting years ago and a fresh test for a Spanish defense that has been one of the stories of this tournament. For Belgium, the World Cup ends in the quarterfinals, their run undone by two separate goalkeeping mishaps in as many games.