Spain strike late to book WC semifinal with France...
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- Mikel Merino scored the matchwinner for the second consecutive knockout round (he also netted the R16 winner vs Portugal), pouncing on a spilled save by Belgium backup Senne Lammens to fire into the roof of the net at SoFi Stadium.
- Spain extended their unbeaten run to a team-record 36 games — one short of Italy's all-time record of 37 — and will face France in the semifinal on Tuesday.
- Fabián Ruiz opened the scoring just after the first-half hydration break, converting a rebound after Dani Olmo's shot was saved by Thibaut Courtois; he was preferred over Pedri in coach Luis de la Fuente's only starting-XI change.
- Charles De Ketelaere equalized for Belgium with a glancing header from Timothy Castagne's cross just before halftime, ending goalkeeper Unai Simón's 650-minute World Cup clean-sheet streak that had stretched back to Ao Tanaka's goal against Spain in Qatar 2022.
- Thibaut Courtois was withdrawn in the 71st minute with an apparent injury and replaced by Manchester United's Lammens; Belgium also lost captain Youri Tielemans to a warmup injury before kickoff.
- Lamine Yamal made his sixth appearance of the tournament — the most by any player aged 18 or under at a World Cup.
Why it matters: Spain's semifinal vs France now pairs two European heavyweights, with Spain one win from equalling Italy's 37-game unbeaten record. Belgium's exit — compounded by Courtois and Tielemans injuries and the end of Simón's 650-minute clean-sheet streak — shows how a single defensive lapse (Lammens spilling Cubarsí's long shot) ended their tournament at the quarterfinal stage.
