Mikel Merino, a substitute with a habit of delivering in the dying moments, struck again in the 88th minute to give Spain a 2-1 victory over Belgium and a place in the World Cup semi-finals. The Arsenal midfielder, who had entered the fray only two minutes earlier, pounced on a rebound after Belgian goalkeeper Senne Lammens – a replacement for the injured Thibaut Courtois – failed to hold a shot, steering the ball home and sending the Spanish bench into delirium at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. It was the second consecutive knockout match in which Merino had scored the winner from the bench, following his stoppage-time goal against Portugal in the last 16.

Spain had taken the lead on the half-hour through Fabián Ruiz, who converted a rebound after Courtois parried Dani Olmo’s effort. Belgium, resilient and well-drilled, levelled before the interval when Charles De Ketelaere headed in a Timothy Castagne cross, ending Spain’s remarkable run of 649 minutes without conceding at this tournament. The second half was a tense, tactical affair, with Spain dominating possession but struggling to break down a compact Belgian defence. Courtois’s tearful departure in the 77th minute with an apparent thigh injury forced Lammens into action, and the Manchester United goalkeeper’s failure to smother a Spanish shot proved decisive. A crowd of 70,492, including Hollywood figures Brad Pitt, Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem, witnessed the drama.

The victory extended Spain’s unbeaten streak to 36 matches, one shy of Italy’s all-time record, and took La Roja into their first World Cup semi-final since their triumphant 2010 campaign. For Merino, the moment carried deep personal resonance. A stress fracture in his foot earlier this year had left his participation in the tournament in serious doubt, and he only returned to action a month before it began. “The fact of being here a few months ago was unthinkable,” he said afterwards. Head coach Luis de la Fuente, who described Merino as “the standard of this idea, of this model,” has now seen his midfield substitute score crucial goals in three major tournament knockout matches, including the Euro 2024 quarter-final against Germany. Yet Spain’s performance was not without flaws; Lamine Yamal, still searching for his best form, admitted the team “didn’t play very well” and would need to improve.

The reward is a semi-final against France in Dallas on 14 July, a meeting widely billed as the tournament’s de facto final. Spain carry the psychological edge of having beaten Les Bleus in both the Euro 2024 semi-final and a high-scoring Nations League encounter, and De la Fuente was quick to remind that his side are “the only team that has beaten them twice.” France, however, have been the more authoritative side in the knockout rounds, with Kylian Mbappé in electrifying form. Spanish analysts note that while their team’s depth and resilience have carried them through two tight contests, a sharper performance will be required against a French side that dismantled Morocco 2-0. The winner will be strong favourite to lift the trophy on 19 July.