Mikel Merino is fast establishing himself as a super-sub as he came off the bench to score the all-important winner to lift Spain past Belgium and into the World Cup semi-finals.
Merino came off the bench and netted in the 88th minute as the European champions beat the injury-hit Belgians 2-1 to set up a blockbuster with France for a place in the final.
Fabián Ruiz had given Spain the lead on 30 minutes before Charles De Ketelaere equalised, meaning Unai Simón conceded for the first time in a record 649 World Cup minutes spread over two tournaments.
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Merino, just like in the last-16 win over Portugal, then came off the bench and scored after a mistake from Belgium reserve keeper Senne Lammens.
The mouth-watering meeting with the French near Dallas on Tuesday will be a repeat of the Euro 2024 semi won by La Roja, whose only World Cup title was in 2010 in South Africa.
France, 1998 and 2018 winners who were runners-up to Argentina four years ago, know they will face their most difficult opponents so far after Spain dominated a Belgian side shorn of two key midfielders in Los Angeles.
“It will be a clash of giants,” Spain coach Luis De La Fuente said through a translator after the match.
Belgium keeper Senne Lammens is beaten by Mikel Merino (front left) for Spain’s winning goal. Credit: AAP Belgium were hit from the get-go with captain Youri Tielemans having to pull out of the game during the warm-up with an apparent hamstring problem, adding to Amadou Onana’s absence after a knee ligament tear.
And Senne Lammens, the capable Manchester United keeper, was forced into the match in the 71st minute after longtime Belgium keeper Thibaut Courtois left with an apparent thigh injury.
Courtois made four saves, but the Real Madrid keeper went down to the grass four minutes before his substitution. He received treatment during the hydration break, but he left the match in tears.
Only Germany’s Manuel Neuer has played more World Cup matches than Courtois, while Lammens had not yet played at this year’s World Cup.
Belgium desperately pressed for an equaliser 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.
Spain remained unbeaten since March 2023 in a streak of 37 matches, while Belgium’s streak of 18 straight unbeaten matches ended.
“I’ve done this again, and it’s happened to me again, so it would seem that coincidence exists,” a smiling Merino said.
“If you’re ready and you try, it can happen for you. I’m very, very pleased.”
After a cautious start from both teams in the World Cup’s second quarterfinal match, Spain broke through when Lamine Yamal and Pedro Porro moved the the ball down the right side and got it to Dani Olmo, whose shot was stopped by Courtois. The rebound went straight to Ruiz, who hammered home his first goal of the tournament.
Ruiz was making his first start since Spain’s World Cup opener, replacing Pedri in the lineup in a mildly surprising tactical decision by De La Fuente — whose later substitute decisions paid off even more.
Spain didn’t allow a goal in its first five matches at this year’s tournament, and goalkeeper Unai Simón hadn’t conceded in a World Cup-record 650 minutes dating to Qatar. The streaks abruptly ended when De Ketelaere muscled past Cubarsí and headed home a cross from Timothy Castagne for Belgium’s tying goal.
Belgium hadn’t 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’s 4-1 rout of the co-host US on Monday.
– With Greg Beacham, AP