Spain vs Belgium

Spain edged Belgium 2–1 in Los Angeles to reach the 2026 World Cup semifinals, with substitute Mikel Merino stealing the show — scoring just two minutes after coming on in the 88th minute. Fabián Ruiz opened the scoring in the 30th, pouncing on a rebound after Thibaut Courtois parried a Dani Olmo effort. Charles De Ketelaere levelled with a header from a Castagne cross on 41 minutes. Courtois had been commanding throughout — even denying a Lamine Yamal penalty in the 34th — before leaving the field injured in the 70th. His replacement Senne Lammens then fumbled a speculative long-range shot from Pau Cubarsí, and Merino was on hand to pounce. Spain, who had kept five consecutive clean sheets before this match, now face France in the semifinals on July 14. For Belgium, the tournament ends in heartbreak — their exit made all the more cruel by that fateful goalkeeping change.