The European champions Spain overcame Belgium 2-1 to secure a heavyweight World Cup semi-final clash against France on Friday.
The breathtaking conclusion at SoFi Stadium paves the way for an exciting clash between European champions Spain and the tournament favorites, France, featuring the in-form Kylian Mbappé in Dallas on Tuesday.
However, it was devastating for Belgium’s backup goalie Senne Lammens, brought on late, who mishandled a shot into Merino’s way.
The thrilling conclusion occurred after Fabian Ruiz had scored first for Spain, only for Charles De Ketelaere to equalize for Belgium unexpectedly before the break.
With Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku returning to the starting XI, Belgium faced a setback when captain Youri Tielemans suffered a hamstring injury during warm-ups, impacting them significantly.
After losing Amadou Onana to a torn ACL, the Red Devils would need to field a mostly backup midfield against the Spanish possession experts.
Ruiz, substituting for Pedri, quickly linked up with Rodri to control the ball, while Barcelona’s young star Lamine Yamal sent an early attempt just past the far post.
However, the opposing winger Doku was lively for Belgium, moving in from the left to assist De Ketelaere, the forward coming off his two-goal performance against the United States on Monday.
However, it was Spain that scored first. At the 30-minute mark, Pedro Porro executed a precise one-two with Lamine Yamal before skillfully pulling it back from close to the byline to Dani Olmo.
Olmo’s shot was blocked by Thibaut Courtois but landed at Ruiz’s feet, who struck it in.
All at once, it became entirely Spain. They exchanged passes in the Belgian half as if this World Cup quarterfinal were a practice session, set up for a celebrity audience including Brad Pitt, Penelope Cruz, and Noel Gallagher.
However, Belgium, after making an incredible comeback from 2-0 down in the round of 32 to eliminate Senegal, remained calm.
They scored one in the 41st minute. De Bruyne sent a pass out wide to Timothy Castagne. His cross reached De Ketelaere, who timed his run flawlessly and outmuscled Barcelona’s young player Pau Cubarsi to score with a header.
This was the first goal that Spain conceded in this World Cup.
Unlikely as it seems, Belgium nearly scored again before the end of the first half. As De Ketelaere broke from a Spanish corner, his pass to an entirely free Doku was just intercepted by Olmo.
Yamal became more influential in the game following the break, almost locating Mikel Oyarzabal with a sharp cross that was effectively intercepted by a rushing Courtois.
Belgian manager Rudi Garcia introduced experienced forward Romelu Lukaku, who had netted as a substitute in three consecutive matches.
The game started. A Belgian cross struck Rodri’s arm, but the contact was considered unintentional. Oyarzabal’s attempt was halted from a narrow, close angle.
An emotional Courtois had to leave the match due to injury after 70 minutes.
Lammens, the 24-year-old Manchester United goalkeeper, took his place in the squad for the World Cup under challenging conditions.
In the 88th minute, Cubarsi took a low shot from distance, and Lammens ought to have secured the ball. Instead, Mikel Merino was the first to react to the rebound, driving it into the net.
The Arsenal midfielder netted another late winner from the bench, following his key goal against Portugal during stoppage time on Monday.
In the end, Alexis Saelemaekers bypassed Unai but couldn’t locate Lukaku in front of an unguarded net.
When the whistle blew, Courtois rushed to comfort a devastated Lammens, while other players from Belgium’s aging “Golden Generation” remained frozen and in shock.
For Spain, there were hugs and fist bumps, but focus swiftly shifted to their high-stakes matchup against France.
