Spain left it late once again but got the job done to advance through to the last four at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Another late goal from Arsenal's Mikel Merino from the bench saw Luis de la Fuente's side edge past Belgium, who pushed La Roja right until the end.

The first half started quietly, with both sides easing into the match. Belgium surprisingly set up in a more positive shape, not sitting back and instead pressing high up the pitch. Spain, also pressing high, looked to play through the Belgian press and find spaces for their wide players to get in behind the defence.

Spain had the majority of possession in the early stages and had the better chances, but Belgium still had their moments. Jeremy Doku looked sharp on the left-wing and looked like Belgium’s most dangerous player.

However, it was Spain who struck first and you couldn’t say it wasn’t deserved. Pedro Porro played a clever one-two with Lamine Yamal to get into a good area on the right-wing. He then found Dani Olmo in the penalty area whose shot was saved by Thibaut Courtois. The save fell back into a dangerous area where it was then met by Fabian Ruiz to give Spain the advantage in the 30th minute.

Spain had not conceded in any of their matches before this, so it now looked like a difficult task for the Red Devils. Spain then began to build momentum and looked like they would add a second before half-time.

However, against the run of play, Belgium found an equaliser through Charles De Ketelaere. The striker beat Barcelona’s Pau Cubarsi in the air after Timothy Castagne’s cross to level the score for the Red Devils before half-time.

The match was level at 1-1 at the interval but both sides went into the break encouraged. The second half started as the first finished, with both sides looking to play attacking football. Spain quickly made changes by bringing on Ferran Torres and Pedri, replacing Alex Baena and Fabian Ruiz after good first-half displays.

Belgium had a good chance in the 55th minute but could not convert to take the lead. Jeremy Doku and Kevin De Bruyne linked up well on the left-wing, but Doku’s cross was poor. The ball then fortunately fell for Maxim De Cuyper but his shot was wide of the post, hitting the side-netting.

Legendary goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was replaced in the 71st minute by Manchester United’s Senne Lammens after an injury. The 34-year-old was visibly devastated as he made way, given that it could be his last World Cup appearance.

As Spain continued to dominate possession, Belgium defended well and looked to counterattack. Romelu Lukaku had been introduced on the hour mark but struggled to cause any real issues for Pau Cubarsi and Aymeric Laporte.

Spain edged closer and closer to finding a winner as time ticked down. Lamine Yamal was outstanding out wide and Belgium’s attacking promise began to fade. After finding the winner against Portugal last time out, Mikel Merino was substituted on for Spain with the idea of replicating those heroics.

With just minutes remaining on the clock, Spain searched for the winner. Pau Cubarsi found space on the edge of the Belgium box and took on a shot which looked comfortable for Lammens. But unfortunately for the young goalkeeper, he spilled the ball right in front of Merino, who smashed the ball into the roof of the net to win the match for Spain again. His late goal proved to be the winner for La Roja once again, booking their place in the last four where they will meet France in what could be a brilliant battle.

Belgium may have surprised some people with their style of play. They set up in a more attacking way than expected, making it more difficult for Spain to control the tempo of the game.

They pressed high and tried to force mistakes, but Spain's quality eventually shone through. La Roja's composure in midfield and their strong defence overpowered Belgium and the Red Devils just did not have quite enough, although they became the only side to score past the Spaniards so far this tournament.

It feels like Spain have not even reached their best levels yet but they are finding a way to win matches by staying patient and disciplined all over the pitch. Luis de la Fuente made the right decisions today, including selecting Fabian Ruiz and substituting Mikel Merino on when he did, with both players scoring the goals for Spain.

As de la Fuente said before the match, this was Spain's toughest test yet but they showed that they can overcome these challenges despite moments of struggle. After beating Portugal and Belgium, they now have momentum and confidence as they look ahead to a semi-final clash with France.

Tonight's victory sees La Roja advance through to the final four and the first semi-final of the 2026 World Cup has been confirmed. After defeating Morocco 2-0 yesterday, France were first to book their place and the two sides will now meet each other on Tuesday in Texas.

France have been perhaps the most impressive side at the tournament so far, with players like Kylian Mbappe and Michael Olise at the top of their game. The match will be tough for Spain but it is set to be the biggest clash we have seen yet. 

England face Norway tomorrow night, which is followed by Argentina vs Switzerland afterwards. That will decide the other semi-final as Spain look ahead to who they could face in their quest for their second World Cup trophy.