Spain have booked their place in the semi-finals of the World Cup after a dramatic last-minute goal saw them beat Belgium 2-1 in the quarter-finals. Luis de la Fuente’s side secured the victory with a last-gasp winner from Mikel Merino in stoppage time.
The victory sent Spain into the last four for just the second time in World Cup history, where they will face France.
Spain dominated possession and attack from the start. They reaped the rewards of that pressure towards the end of the first half. Dani Olmo’s first shot was saved by Thibaut Courtois after receiving a great pass from Lamine Yamal on the right wing, Pedro Parro’s cross. However, Fabian Ruiz easily put Spain ahead with a rebound.
However, Belgium equalised just before the break. A perfect cross from Timothy Castagner was headed home by Charles de Keteler, who beat Unai Simon to the net. With this goal, Spain conceded for the first time in the current World Cup. At the same time, their record of 650 consecutive minutes without conceding a goal, which began in the 2022 World Cup, was also broken.
Despite both teams playing attacking football in the second half, the match turned around in the 71st minute. Belgium’s first-choice goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was forced to leave the field due to injury. Senne Lamens came on as his replacement. In the end, Lamens was unable to fully control Pau Koubersi’s long-range shot, and Mikel Merino received the ball and sent the ball into the roof of the net with a powerful shot. With this goal, Spain secured a 2-1 victory.
The victory marked another milestone for Spain, who have now gone 36 games unbeaten, the longest unbeaten run in their history. The Spaniards now have a chance to equal Italy’s world record of 37 matches.
On the other hand, Belgium suffered a major setback before the match even started. Captain Youri Tielemans was out of the starting XI after suffering an injury in training. Later, Courtois’ injury during the match made the situation even more difficult. Ultimately, Belgium had to exit the World Cup in a last-minute disappointment.