With a late goal in a thrilling 2-1 victory on Friday, super substitute Mikel Merino broke Belgian hearts and took Spain to a World Cup semifinal against France.
The thrilling matchup between European champions Spain and the tournament favorites France and the scorching Kylian Mbappe in Dallas on Tuesday is set up by the spectacular conclusion at SoFi Stadium.
However, Senne Lammens, Belgium’s late substitute goalkeeper, suffered heartache after spilling a shot into Merino’s path.
Before halftime, Charles De Ketelaere scored a goal for Belgium against the flow of play after Fabian Ruiz had opened the score for Spain, setting up a thrilling conclusion.
Youri Tielemans’ hamstring injury during the warm-ups stunned Belgium, who welcomed Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku back into the starting lineup.
The Red Devils would have to play an almost second-choice midfield against the Spanish possession masters after losing Amadou Onana to an ACL injury.
After replacing Pedri, Ruiz quickly combined with Rodri to control the ball, and Lamine Yamal, a teenage star for Barcelona, curled an early attempt that narrowly missed the far post.
However, Belgium’s rival winger Doku was brilliant, cutting in from the left to assist De Ketelaere, the striker who had just scored two goals against the United States on Monday.
Nevertheless, Spain was the first to strike. Pedro Porro played a quick one-two with Lamine Yamal at the half-hour mark, then skillfully cut it back to Dani Olmo from close to the byline.
Thibaut Courtois parried Olmo’s attempt, but Ruiz caught it and blasted it home. All of a sudden, it was Spain. For an A-list audience that included Brad Pitt, Penelope Cruz, and Noel Gallagher, they executed passes across the Belgian half as if this World Cup quarterfinal were a drill.
However, Belgium did not panic after rallying from a 0-2 deficit in the round of 32 to defeat Senegal. In the 41st minute, they regained the lead. Timothy Castagne was hit by a through ball that De Bruyne slipped wide. His cross found De Ketelaere, who outmuscled Barcelona youngster Pau Cubarsi to return home after timing his run well.
This World Cup, it was the first goal Spain had conceded. Belgium came very close to scoring again before halftime. Olmo barely stopped De Ketelaere’s ball to a completely clear Doku after he broke from a Spain corner.
After halftime, Yamal became more involved in the match and almost found Mikel Oyarzabal with a sharp cross that was successfully deflected by a charging Courtois. Romelu Lukaku, a seasoned striker who had scored from the bench in three consecutive games, was brought on by Belgian coach Rudi Garcia.
Rodri’s arm was struck by a Belgian cross, but it was ruled accidental. From a tight angle, Oyarzabal’s shot was saved. After 70 minutes, an injury forced a distraught Courtois off. Lammens, a 24-year-old Manchester United ‘keeper making his World Cup debut under difficult circumstances, took his place.
Lammens should have hung onto the ball when Cubarsi made a low-range shot in the 88th minute. Mikel Merino, a replacement, was the first to the rebound and scored. After scoring the pivotal goal against Portugal in stoppage time on Monday, it was the Arsenal midfielder’s second consecutive late goal off the bench.
Alexis Saelemaekers circled Unai late in the game, but he was unable to locate Lukaku in front of an open goal.
While other members of Belgium’s aging “Golden Generation” stood motionless and incredulous, Courtois emerged to embrace a distressed Lammens as the whistle blew.
There were fist pumps and embraces for Spain before the focus swiftly shifted to their highly anticipated match against France.
