Merino strikes late as Spain books France semifinal
Spain are through to the World Cup semifinals, winning 2-1 against Belgium.
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Spain are through to the World Cup semifinals, winning 2-1 against Belgium.
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Spain are through to the FIFA World Cup semifinals after Mikel Merino scored a dramatic late winner to seal a 2-1 victory over Belgium.
Fabian Ruiz opened the scoring for La Roja in the first half, converting a rebound to give Spain the lead.
Belgium responded in the 41st minute as Charles De Ketelaere nodded home from a pinpoint cross by Timothy Castagne to level the match before halftime.
With the game seemingly headed for extra time, Spain turned to Mikel Merino. Introduced in the 86th minute as an emergency striker in place of Dani Olmo, the Arsenal midfielder needed just two minutes to make the difference, scoring the winner in the 88th minute.
It marked the second consecutive World Cup match in which Merino came off the bench to score the decisive goal for Spain.
Lamine Yamal was named Player of the Match after constantly troubling Belgium's defense. The Barcelona teenager finished with the most shots and the most touches inside the opposition box despite not registering a goal or an assist.
Nico Williams also returned from injury, coming on in the 79th minute for his first appearance beyond the group stage.
The defeat likely marks the final World Cup appearances of Belgium's golden generation, including Kevin De Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois and Romelu Lukaku.
Spain now advance to face Kylian Mbappé's France in the semifinals, setting up a third straight World Cup semifinal meeting between the two European giants. Spain won each of the previous two encounters.
