Mikel Merino Leads Spain to Victory Over Belgium

Spain 2-1 Belgium

Mikel Merino took advantage of substitute Belgian keeper Senne Lammens’s mistake to fire the European champions to a tantalising semi-final encounter with France after a 2-1 victory over Belgium at the World Cup on July 10, 2026.

The Spanish midfielder administered the fatal blow two minutes from time, anticipating an error from Lammens after he failed to hold onto a long-range effort from Pau Cubarsi, which ended up in Merino’s path, allowing him to score and send Spain into the semi-finals. This marked Merino's second knockout goal of the tournament, following a similar contribution against Portugal just days earlier.

The turning point in the match came when Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois had to leave the field due to a thigh injury. His replacement, the less experienced Lammens, became the center of attention for the wrong reasons as his error sealed Belgium’s fate. Despite a valiant display from the team, which saw them create some decent chances in the second half, it was not enough to turn the game around.

Spain maintained control but faced some pressure from Belgium, who had initially performed strongly. Just 12 minutes before the match kicked off, Belgium's captain Youri Tielemans suffered a hamstring injury during warm-ups, which hindered their performance. Furthermore, Belgium did well early on, with players like Jeremy Doku and Lamine Yamal posing threats to the Spanish defence.

Spain opened the scoring in the 30th minute when Dani Olmo's shot was parried by Courtois, with Fabian Ruiz on hand to tap in the rebound. The lead seemed to anchor Spain’s descent towards victory, but Belgium's determination to push forward should not be understated.

Overall, while the match saw Spain clinch a crucial victory, the moments leading up to Merino’s goal were marked by the contrasting fortunes of Lammens and Courtois, leaving fans and players reflecting on what might have been for Belgium. As Spain moves on, they set their sights on a challenging semi-final against France, anticipated to be a highly competitive match.