In a fiercely contested 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-final match, Spain defeated Belgium 2-1 to secure their place in the semi-finals.
On Tuesday, Spain will face one of the tournament favourites, France, in the first semi-final to be held in Dallas.
In the 30th minute of the game, Fabian Ruiz scored to put Spain 1-0 ahead. In the 41st minute, Belgium’s Charles De Ketelaere equalised with a brilliant header to make it 1-1. This was the first goal Spain had conceded in the current World Cup.
With just 2 minutes left in the match, in the 88th minute, Spain substitute Mikel Merino scored the winning goal for his team.
In the 71st minute, Belgium’s star goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was injured and had to leave the field. Merino capitalised on a mistake by his replacement, backup goalkeeper Senne Lammens, to score Spain’s winner.
With this victory, Spain have taken another step towards lifting the World Cup trophy once again.
