Spain's composure, not luck, earned this World Cup semi-final place.
Spain reached the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-finals with a 2-1 victory over Belgium, and while Senne Lammens' late mistake decided the scoreboard, it only finished a contest Spain had controlled for long spells. The error created the winning goal, but Spain's sustained pressure and dominance made the breakthrough feel earned rather than fortunate.
Luis de la Fuente's side booked a last-four meeting with France after overcoming Belgium in Los Angeles. Fabián Ruiz gave Spain the lead in the first half before Charles De Ketelaere equalised. The match remained finely balanced until substitute goalkeeper Senne Lammens, on after an injured Thibaut Courtois departed, spilled Pau Cubarsí's shot in the 88th minute, allowing super-sub Mikel Merino to score the decisive goal.
Spain's early control finally produced a breakthrough
Spain dictated possession from the opening whistle, with Lamine Yamal constantly stretching Belgium's defence and Dani Olmo helping create overloads between the lines.
Their pressure paid off after 30 minutes when Courtois parried Olmo's effort into the path of Ruiz, who calmly converted the rebound. Belgium had offered little going forward but found a route back through Timothy Castagne's delivery, headed home by Charles De Ketelaere before half-time for Spain's first goal conceded of the tournament.
"Merino became the first substitute to score late winners in two different World Cup knockout matches."
Merino punished Belgium's decisive lapse
Here's the part nobody's saying out loud: Belgium's mistake didn't steal the match—it merely exposed how relentlessly Spain had kept asking questions.
Courtois left injured around the 72nd minute, forcing Lammens into one of the biggest moments of his career. The Manchester United goalkeeper coped well initially but couldn't hold Cubarsí's low effort two minutes from time. Merino reacted quickest, smashing home the rebound to send Spain into the semi-finals for the first time since their 2010 title-winning campaign.
Belgium will understandably point to Courtois' injury, and that's a fair argument. Yet Spain finished with 17 shots to Belgium's five and controlled possession throughout. The evidence suggests the winners created enough opportunities to deserve progression even before the decisive error.
Merino's impact has become one of the defining stories of Spain's campaign. After scoring the stoppage-time winner against Portugal in the Round of 16, he repeated the feat from the bench again, underlining why De la Fuente continues to trust him in decisive moments.
Spain's bigger test starts now
Reaching the semi-finals is significant, but France present an entirely different challenge.
Spain also extended their unbeaten run to 36 international matches, equalling Argentina's record, highlighting the consistency behind this generation rather than one dramatic victory. However, France possess greater attacking depth and arguably represent Spain's toughest examination of the tournament.
De la Fuente's side will travel to Dallas to face France in a heavyweight semi-final, while Belgium leave the tournament wondering how differently the evening might have unfolded had Courtois remained fit. Spain, though, have repeatedly found decisive contributions when the pressure peaks—and that's becoming their defining quality.