{"id":6971,"date":"2026-07-10T23:35:28","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T23:35:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=6971"},"modified":"2026-07-10T23:35:28","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T23:35:28","slug":"mikel-merino-stars-again-as-spain-edges-belgium-2-1-in-the-world-cup-quarterfinals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=6971","title":{"rendered":"Mikel Merino stars again as Spain edges Belgium 2-1 in the World Cup quarterfinals"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"<\/figure>\n\n
Spain\u2019s Mikel Merino (6) celebrates scoring their second goal during the World Cup quarterfinal soccer match between Spain and Belgium in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Friday, July 10, 2026. (AP Photo\/Mark J. Terrill)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

INGLEWOOD, Calif. \u2014 Mikel Merino is Spain\u2019s World Cup<\/a> hero once again, and even he finds it hard to believe.<\/p>

Read more Boston firm tapped to turn Confederate statue into monument to racial diversity<\/a><\/p>\n

A mere four days after Merino scored a clutch goal<\/a> as a substitute in injury time to beat Portugal, he found himself in the right spot again in the quarterfinals when Belgium\u2019s backup goalkeeper spilled the ball into his path.<\/p>\n

Merino booted it home in the 88th minute, sending Spain to a 2-1 victory Friday and into a titanic semifinal showdown with tournament favorite France<\/a> .<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve done this again, and it\u2019s happened to me again, so it would seem that coincidence exists,\u201d a smiling Merino said. \u201cIf you\u2019re ready and you try, I guess it can happen for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Already a versatile contributor in any role he can get as a depth player for his country or English club Arsenal, the multi-positional Merino has transformed into the ultimate super-sub while providing exactly what Spain needed to survive two knockout matches against top opponents.<\/p>\n

Merino has scored two goals in his first World Cup \u2014 and they\u2019re both historic.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, it\u2019s crazy to be able to help the team once again,\u201d he said. \u201cThis time in a different way, but at the same time to believe and trust that the opposing goalkeeper could make a mistake and to stay alert. … I prepare for when the moment comes, and hopefully they keep coming.\u201d<\/p>\n

Merino is the first to admit he also needed luck, and Belgium keeper Senne Lammens provided it after he was forced into his first World Cup match in the 71st minute by an injury to starter Thibaut Courtois.<\/p>\n

Merino came on in the 86th minute and scored on his second touch of the match, charging into the box and pouncing after Lammens lost control of Pau Cubars\u00ed\u2019s long shot.<\/p>\n

Fabi\u00e1n Ruiz scored a rebound goal in the 30th minute for Spain, but Belgium forward Charles De Ketelaere evened it with the first goal allowed by the Spanish team in the entire World Cup in the 41st minute.<\/p>\n

Merino\u2019s clutch goal against an upset-minded Belgium sent La Roja to the semifinals for the first time since they won the World Cup in 2010. A powerhouse matchup with France has been anticipated since the draw was announced late last year, and Spain was grateful to secure its spot.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe came here for this, to play against the best teams in the world,\u201d Merino said. \u201cWe are confident in our possibilities, at the same time respecting the opposition. This is one of those games that you dream of when you\u2019re a kid, and now we have the chance to compete against a massive rival. Hopefully we\u2019ll get the win.\u201d<\/p>\n

Spain and France will meet Tuesday in Arlington, Texas, in a matchup anticipated for years. Neither team has lost at this year\u2019s World Cup.<\/p>

Read more Colombian soccer federation condemns death threats against midfielder Jaminton Campaz<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIt will be a clash of giants,\u201d Spain coach Luis De La Fuente said through a translator. \u201cWe are capable of winning this game \u2014 and not just now, but I would have said this a few weeks ago as well. They are a great giant of football, but I trust our team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Courtois made four saves, but the Real Madrid keeper went down to the grass in the second half after a long kick. He received treatment during the hydration break, but broke down in tears when coach Rudi Garcia removed him moments later.<\/p>\n

Only Germany\u2019s Manuel Neuer has played more World Cup matches than Courtois\u2019 21. Lammens, the capable Manchester United keeper, was forced to become the first goalkeeper other than Courtois to play for Belgium in the last four World Cup tournaments \u2014 and he wasn\u2019t able to make the play that would have kept it level.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were on equal footing with Spain, and we have nothing to feel bad about,\u201d Garcia said. \u201cIn the first half, they only had one chance, but they were very efficient. Unfortunately, to beat a team of this caliber, you need luck on your side as well, and it was too much for us to get into the semifinals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Belgium desperately pressed for an equalizer in the final minutes with substitute forward Romelu Lukaku leading the effort, but Aymeric Laporte acrobatically volleyed the best chance out of the box in the second minute of injury time.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe knew how we could hurt them, and I think we did this today,\u201d Belgium defender Brandon Mechele said. \u201cIt\u2019s a pity that it ended like this, but I think we can be proud of the tournament we played.\u201d<\/p>\n

Spain remained unbeaten in 37 straight competitive matches since March 2023, while Belgium\u2019s streak of 18 consecutive unbeaten matches across all competitions ended.<\/p>\n

Spain didn\u2019t allow a goal in its first five matches at this year\u2019s tournament, and goalkeeper Unai Sim\u00f3n hadn\u2019t conceded in a World Cup-record<\/a> 650 minutes dating to Qatar.<\/p>\n

The streaks abruptly ended when De Ketelaere muscled past Cubars\u00ed and headed home a cross from Timothy Castagne for Belgium\u2019s tying goal.<\/p>\n

Belgium hadn\u2019t generated anything close to a strong scoring chance before the latest big moment for De Ketelaere, the Atalanta forward who scored two goals in Belgium\u2019s 4-1 rout of the co-host U.S.<\/a> on Monday.<\/p>\n

Belgium captain Youri Tielemans was removed from the starting lineup after getting injured during warmups. He joined injured defender Amadou Onana on the sidelines.<\/p>

Read more Brewers sign veteran Bryse Wilson in an attempt to stabilize an injury-ravaged pitching staff<\/a><\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

See more of AP\u2019s World Cup coverage here<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mikel Merino scored in the 88th minute off a rebound yielded by backup Belgium goalkeeper Senne Lammens, and Spain advanced to the World Cup semifinals with a 2-1 victory<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6969,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6971","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nMikel Merino stars again as Spain edges Belgium 2-1 in the World Cup quarterfinals - Moving Insider USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=6971\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mikel Merino stars again as Spain edges Belgium 2-1 in the World Cup quarterfinals - 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