Spain Edges Belgium in Quarterfinal Thriller: Late Merino Heroics Propel La Roja into World Cup Semifinals
Spain’s relentless march toward football immortality continued at SoFi Stadium as they dismantled Belgium’s explosive attack to secure a thrilling 2-1 victory.
Fabián Ruiz opened the scoring for Spain in the 29th minute by cleaning up a deflected rebound, before Charles De Ketelaere struck a brilliant equalizer right before halftime to score the first goal Spain has conceded in the entire tournament.
Rudi Garcia’s Red Devils fought valiantly under the California lights but simply could not breach Spain’s legendary defensive iron curtain after their initial breakthrough.
Belgium’s chances were severely derailed by bad luck as captain Youri Tielemans was injured during warmups, and legendary goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was forced off with a thigh injury late in the second half.
This monumental triumph officially books Spain a ticket to Dallas for a blockbuster semifinal showdown against France.
Supersub Mikel Merino proved to be the ultimate hero yet again, capitalizing on a brutal blunder by backup keeper Senne Lammens in the 87th minute to send La Roja through.
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