Spain 2-1 Belgium: Super sub Mikel Merino does it again late in 2026 FIFA World Cup quarterfinal

What a game.... and what a moment.

The only thing predictable about the final moments was the identity of the match-winner: Mikel Merino.

Senne Lammens can’t handle a hot shot from a driving Pau Cubarsi and Mikel Merino is first to the loose ball.

Another late goal for Spain, this one in the 88th minute.

De Bruyne, who has been very good, leaves the game and his World Cup fate in the hands of replacement Alexis Saelmaekers and Co.

Spain make a move as well — Mikel Merino replaces Olmo.

1-1, 87'.

Spain’s Nico Williams will take the place of Oyazarbal in the 80th minute.

Thibaut Courtois is in tears as he has to leave the pitch with an upper left leg injury.

The Real Madrid man is replaced by Manchester United’s Senne Lammens.

1-1, 71'.

Romelu Lukau has entered the fray and this game is racing end-to-end.

Belgium have a penalty shout for handball dismissed by VAR.

Yamal forces another intervention out of Courtois.

Less than a half-hour left (plus stoppage) and the fever is rising.

Yamal spots a runner and whips in a quick cross from right to left, but Courtois bursts toward the ball to punch it out of the 18.

Ferran Torres and Pedri check into the game at the 55th minute for Alex Baena and the goal scorer Ruiz.

Doku and Kevin De Bruyne work a 1-2 and the ball ends up with Brighton’s Maxim De Cuyper, who smashes into the outside of the netting.

The Barcelona star fires his left peg through the ball and toward a sea of bodies, winning a corner kick as it skitters wide of the far post.

The corner works its way to Dani Olmo, who fires well clear of the goal.

Here’s how Spain opened the scoring.

Can Belgium set up a surprise meeting with France or will Spain make their way to the semifinal?

More short-term — will this be decided in 90 or go to extra time?

Spain held 63% of the ball and took nine shots to Belgium’s two.

They’ve also had 16 touches in the opposition box while conceding just three until Doku had seven in the fourth minute of stoppage time.

And Pau Cubarsi is on a yellow card, so it’s not all sunshine for Spain.

Kevin De Bruyne slips Timothy Castagne into the right corner, and the Fulham man’s cross is put home by USA-haunter Charles De Ketelaere.

1-1, 41'.

A frustrated Jeremy Doku is beaten by Lamine Yamal and drops the Spaniard in a truly dangerous position just outside the arc.

It comes to nothing.

Just like that, La Roja take the lead

Courtois makes the initial save on Dani Olmo but Fabian Ruiz is alone and unfollowed at the back post to slash a low shot home.

1-0, 30'

Lamine Yamal cuts inside in a bid to find a pass and slips to the turf, knocking down a Belgian defender.

It wasn’t malicious — purely accidental — but there is already a sense that Rudi Garcia’s tactics are again influencing the opposition.

The Man City man finds his way toward the left corner and slips the ball to his overlapper for a cross which is collected by Unai Simon in Spain’s six-yard box.

A feeling-out period delivered some possession to Belgium far from its goal.

Spain then work a chance and Rodri’s rip from near the penalty spot is blocked by Nathan Ndoy.

0-0 into the 11th minute.

... and a huge change in the lineup as Tielemans was injured in warm-ups and Hans Vanaken takes his place.

Belgium get an acute-angled chance in the first minure but it’s not more than a warning/window-dressing.

Premier League veteran Michael Oliver is the head referee for this match, with countrymen serving as his assistant referees in Stuart Burt and James Mainwaring.

The fourth official is Ramon Abatti of Brazil.

VAR is Jarred Gillett, also of England, with Croatia’s Ivan Bebek as assistant VAR and Mahmoud Ashour as standby VAR.

This is the final of eight matches at Los Angeles Stadium after five group stage matches and a pair of Round of 32 games headed to Inglewood.

The USMNT were there twice, beating Paraguay 4-1 and losing 3-2 to Turkiye.

Iran was also there twice, a 2-2 draw with New Zealand and a scoreless split with Belgium. Switzerland smashes Bosnia and Herzegovina 4-1 last month.

Canada edged South Africa 1-0 in the first game of the Round of 32, while Los Angeles also saw Spain clobber Austria 3-0.

We know Spain doesn’t concede a lot of chances, let alone goals. What this post presupposes is, maybe they can?

Belgium will find their way onto the score sheet, but will it be early enough to take hold of the game? We don’t think so. Eventually, Spain find the difference maker. Spain 2-1 Belgium.

Starting XI
Thibaut Courtois
Timothy Castagne
Nathan Ngoy
Brandon Mechele
Maxim De Cuyper
Kevin De Bruyne
Youri Tielemans
Nicolas Raskin
Jeremy Doku
Leandro Trossard
Charles De Ketelaere

Leandro Trossard and Dodi Lukebakio started against the U.S. but head to the bench where they’ll join Romelu Lukaku.

Belgium are going for it.

Starting XI
Unai Simon
Pedro Porro
Pau Cubarsi
Aymeric Laporte
Marc Cucurella
Rodri
Fabian Ruiz
Dani Olmo
Lamine Yamal
Alex Baena
Mikel Oyarzabal

Pedri heads to the bench, where he’s joined by Nico Williams, Ferran Torres, Martin Zubimendi, and Mikel Merino amongst others.

Spain and Belgium first met in 1921, with the Spanish winning 2-0 before Belgium returned the favor off a 1-0 win in 1923.

Spain hold a 12-5-5 all-time advantage and it hasn’t exactly been good for their rivals over the last... four decades.

Since a 1986 World Cup quarterfinal meeting that saw Belgium get past La Roja in penalties, Spain have seven wins and a draw against the Red Devils (though the two sides have not met since a 2016 friendly).

Spain’s World Cup began in Atlanta with a stunning 0-0 draw with Cape Verde but things looked as expected as they stayed in Georgia to thrash Saudi Arabia by four and then slipped past Urugauy 1-0 in Guadalajara.

A 3-0 cruise past Austria in L.A. was the precursor to their Round of 16 late heroics in an Iberian derby triumph over neighbors Portugal.

To say the group stage didn’t tell us a lot about Belgium would be fair. They drew Iran 0-0 in Los Angeles and Egypt 1-1 in Seattle before heading to Vancouver and piling up the goals in a 5-1 win over New Zealand to complete the group stage.

Belgium’s best win came at the end of a tricky performance, as the Red Devils came back from 2-0 down to beat Senegal 3-2 in extra time.

And, of course, Monday saw the Belgians take care of the United States men’s national team in decisive fashion, 4-1 at Lumen Field in Seattle.

Kick off time: 3pm ET Friday (July 10)
Venue: SoFi Stadium — Los Angeles
TV Channel: Telemundo
Streaming: Stream live on Peacock, en Espanol

This quarterfinal is set for a 3pm ET kickoff from Inglewood.