Spain 2-1 Belgium: World Cup 2026 quarter-final - as it happened

Key events

That’ll do from me. Sid Lowe’s report is here. Hasta luego.

double quotation markMikel Merino’s amazing moment arrived once more, a country circling the corner flag with him. The man who came on to scored the late, late goals that took Spain into a European championship semi-final two years ago and a World Cup quarter-final four days ago, only went and did it again. This is some hat-trick, history made here. Introduced as a sub on 85:32 with Spain struggling to find a way through against Belgium, Merino was the man most alert in the whole of Los Angeles, pouncing on a loose ball on 87:28 to send Spain to the semi-final against France next week.

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Rudi Garcia’s contract is up as Belgium manager after this tournament, but maybe he’s done enough to warrant an extension. The squad is clearly in transition, with De Bruyne, Lukaku and Courtois seemingly on the way out and Doku, Trossard and Onana coming to the fore.

It’s worth saying that they were missing their first-choice midfield today against possibly the best at the World Cup – Amadou Onana did his ACL against the USA and Youri Tielemans pulled up in the warm-up.

Anyway, they’ll always have that day against the co-hosts in Seattle. And the dancing.

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Updated at 17.42 EDT

“Two excellent attacks going up against defenses that have a mistake in them, France v Belgium is nearly guaranteed to be a cracking game” – Kári Tulinius

Were you not listening/reading, Kári? But yes, I know what you mean.

Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise, Désiré Doué and Lamine Yamal – all on same pitch. Hopefully Nico Williams is fit to start too.

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Quarter-final results

France 2-0 Morocco (Mbappé 60, Dembélé 66)

Spain 2-1 Belgium (Ruiz 30, Merino 88; De Ketelaere 41)

And still to come …

England v Norway, tomorrow night (10pm BST, 5pm EST)

Argentina v Switzerland, tomorrow night (2am BST, 9pm EST)

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Lamine Yamal wins man of the match. The physical and mental toll of having to keep up with him and monitor him seemed to have a real impact on Belgium. Doku was always back to help out De Cuyper, who was replaced by Seys after an hour when fresh legs (and minds) were needed. I’m sure Lucas Digne will be having a little less sleep tonight ahead of that semi-final.

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Updated at 17.46 EDT

“As a United fan, gutted for Lammens. I hope that doesn’t affect him when he gets back to club football. You have to remember Courtois made a similar error for the first goal” – Josh Keeling

A brutal introduction to World Cup football for Lammens. And a brutal way to possibly exit it for Courtois.

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Mikel Merino does it again for Spain. The winning goal against Germany in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024, the winning goal against Portugal in the last 16 on Monday, and now the winning goal against Belgium here.

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Spain are into a World Cup semi-final for just the second time in their history. Belgium cannot repeat their historic run of 2018 and many of their older players will not take to this stage again. Thibaut Courtois looks especially gutted having come off injured in the second half – his replacement, Senne Lammens, had a hand in Spain’s winning goal.

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Full time: Spain 2-1 Belgium

It’s all over! Spain will play France in the first semi-final in Dallas next Tuesday.

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Updated at 17.11 EDT

90+7 min Cucurella, for some reason, has a shot at goal from the edge of the box instead of going to the corner.

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90+6 min Raskin swings a cross into the box and Lukaku tries to butt it goalwards. Merino gets in the way. Another cross comes in and Lukaku challenges Simón, who wins a foul after he flaps at it and drops it.

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90+5 min More frustration for Belgium as Witsel is late on Rodri on halfway. His studs are up … it’s just a yellow.

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90+4 min Laporte goes into the book for Spain. Saelemaekers floats the resulting free-kick into the box but Spain get it clear. The European champions allow the game to drift.

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90+2 min Belgium aren’t done yet. Saelemaekers dribbles past an onrushing Simón to the byline inside the Spain box and sticks a cross into the box. Cubarsí hooks it clear with his boot and, with a slice of luck, straight into Simón’s hands.

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90 min There will be seven minutes of added time for Belgium to rescue this.

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It’s really messy from Lammens. Cubarsí’s shot bounces awkwardly in front of him but there’s not a lot of power behind it. Merino, a veritable poacher these days, is there first. The cameras pan to Courtois, slumped on the Belgium bench.

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GOAL! Spain 2-1 Belgium (Merino 88)

What an impact! And you have to feel for Lammens, who spills Cubarsí’s long shot and can’t get up in time to prevent Merino tucking it away.

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Updated at 17.48 EDT

86 min Olmo’s afternoon is over and Mikel Merino, the hero of the previous round against Portugal, is on for Spain.

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85 min Rodri clips a ball over Seys into Yamal’s path but he’s unlucky with his control, the ball bouncing off his standing leg, and Lammens comes out to gather. De Bruyne, still soldiering on, tries to lob Simón from about 50 yards. His shot is blocked.

De Bruyne goes into the book for wrestling his former City teammate Torres to the floor and then takes his leave. Alexis Saelemaekers comes on in his place.

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83 min Spain try to shift up a gear. Pedri and Williams are combining with regularity down the left. Rodri is beginning to dominate midfield, with Witsel and Raskin happy to stand off and De Bruyne ready to come off.

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81 min Williams’ first involvement sees him shift the ball on to his left foot and hook a cross out for a goal-kick. De Bruyne then tries to find Lukaku with a wayward pass and the midfielder hits the deck – it looks like it’s just cramp. He’s up again.

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79 min Belgium are standing firm for now. Yamal tries to play a one-two with Torres and Ngoy gets a foot in at just the right time.

Here comes Nico Williams, on for Oyarzabal.

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77 min Pedri switches the ball out to Yamal, who draws a couple of players before slipping Porro in with a backheel. The right-back’s cross is intercepted by Raskin before it reaches Oyarzabal or Olmo.

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75 min Olmo feeds a cute ball into Oyarzabal between the Belgium centre-backs but the striker’s touch lets him down and he’s dispossessed. Again Belgium go long to Lukaku but the ball comes straight back.

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73 min Lammens has proved that he is more than capable in a very solid first season at Manchester United. Yamal has another go at Seys down the Spain right but skews the cross out for a goal-kick.

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Updated at 16.35 EDT

Courtois forced off injured

71 min No, Courtois is not fine! Belgium just needed more time to get Senne Lammens ready. The change is made, with Courtois clearly quite tearful at having to come off in what could be his last World Cup game.

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Updated at 16.41 EDT

70 min Play has resumed. Belgium punt it straight to Lukaku, who nods it down to Doku but there’s a foul by the Manchester City winger. Courtois is fine.

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The longer it stays like this, the more confident Belgium will feel.

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66 min It is tempting to say that Rudi Garcia has shown a lot of faith in 21-year-old Joaquín Seys up against Lamine Yamal, but the Spain winger is still three years his junior.

Courtois is down with some discomfort in his thigh. The physios come on. Now would be a good time to have a drinks break, Michael. And common sense has prevailed. Time for hydration.

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Updated at 16.43 EDT

64 min There’s a real tempo to this now, with quality on both sides. Seys does excellently to shield the ball out of play when Yamal tries to go past him. You’ll have another half an hour to get through, mate.

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62 min Seys has come on at left-back and gets a taste of the action straight away as Yamal fronts him up and fizzes a shot at goal that a diving Courtois saves.

A Belgium break sees Raskin send a ball into the box. Laporte heads it into Rodri’s arm – nothing given – and Belgium appeal for a penalty.

Courtois then saves from Oyarzabal up the other end.

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60 min Triple change for Belgium. Trossard, Vanaken and De Cuyper make way for Lukaku, Witsel and Seys.

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58 min Yamal sends an inviting cross into the box and Courtois comes out to punch it, superman style.

Rudi Garcia responds to those Spain changes. Romelu Lukaku and Axel Witsel are stripped and ready. Yes, that Axel Witsel. He’s 37 now and without a club.

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Updated at 16.50 EDT

56 min Pedri and Ferran Torres are on for Spain, for goalscorer Fabián Ruiz and Baena.

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55 min Doku and De Bruyne combine dangerously down the left. Doku’s pull-back is intercepted but the ball falls to De Cuyper, who rifles a shot into the side-netting. Very decent chance, that.

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53 min The ball drops to Olmo on the edge of the area and he slices his half-volley way over the bar. Pedri and Ferran Torres are limbering up for Spain.

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52 min Spain work it patiently out to Yamal, who darts inside again and again before feeding it back to Rodri, who starts the whole process again. This time Yamal swings his foot on the edge of the box and Mechele deflects it out for a corner.

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50 min Doku wins a corner for Belgium after he and Laporte tangle out wide and the latter fails in his attempts to keep the ball in play. Michael Oliver spots a foul by Raskin in the box during De Bruyne’s corner.

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48 min Simón comes quickly off his line to gather the ball after Doku’s attempted pass through bobbles just out of Trossard’s reach inside the area. Courtois does similarly well coming out to spread himself in front of Yamal, who is played in on goal by Cubarsí. The flag goes up anyway.

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Updated at 16.36 EDT

46 min Spain get the game restarted. A reminder: the winners of this one play France.

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Spain and Belgium are back out in Los Angeles … but who’s going home?

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Half-time mailbag …

“Feeling just a tad better seeing DeKetelare breaching the impermeable Spain defence after flooding our far more porous US defence. But not that much better” – Dan Weingrod

“The Bishopric of Liège was the only part of the Low Countries never conquered by the Spanish nor the Dutch. The only two Liégois players in the Belgian squad are sitting on the bench, Witsel and Theate. Bring ‘em on Rudi!” – Blaise Baquiche

“Lots of deserved plaudits for Lamine Yamal but for my money Dani Olmo is the Spanish winning talisman” – Joshua Reynolds

“Honestly, when Spain scored, I guessed that they’d just hypnotise Belgium with their passing & win 1-0. But that’s the first goal they’ve conceded in this entire tournament. All Belgium need to do now is throw Chadli & Fellaini on, just like against Japan in 2018” – Steven Grundy

In fairness, Belgium were 2-0 down to Japan in 2018. This was not quite that bleak.

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After France v Morocco and Colombia v Switzerland, we were due a good game – and it looks like we’ve got one. Yes, Spain look more likely to get the next goal and Belgium are not doing a great job of keeping Lamine Yamal quiet, but it’s pretty competitive. Belgium have had their moments and have quality in the final third with Doku, Trossard, De Bruyne and De Ketelaere.

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Half-time: Spain 1-1 Belgium

Rudi Garcia will head down the tunnel very pleased with how his Belgium team have responded to going behind.

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Updated at 15.52 EDT

45+4 min Michael Oliver calls for medical attention right away as Olmo and Oyarzabal bang heads in the middle of the pitch. They’re both OK and Oyarzabal takes issue with the referee’s, well, hasty concern for his welfare.

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Updated at 16.15 EDT

45+2 min Mechele take drastic action as Olmo threatens to run in behind the Belgium defence, hooking the ball out for a corner. A second corner falls to Ruiz, whose shot is blocked. Olmo then intervenes crucially on halfway as Belgium threaten to break.

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Updated at 15.48 EDT

45 min Replays show Cucurella was playing De Ketelaere on for the goal as he tried to close down Castagne’s cross. The striker really caught Cubarsí out.

Porro spoons a left-footed shot high and wide. There are five added minutes.

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43 min Castagne’s cross was excellent but it was De Bruyne who picked the lock for that goal. He fed the ball to the right-back at just the right time as Spain were struggling to deal with an overload on that side. De Ketelaere follows up his double against the USA.

Cubarsí goes into the book for tugging on De Bruyne’s shorts while on the ground, hanging on for dear life almost – Cubarsí and the shorts.

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Updated at 15.44 EDT

GOAL! Spain 1-1 Belgium (De Ketelaere 41)

Spain’s defence is breached for the first time at this World Cup! After Yamal hits the side-netting, Castagne gets the ball on the right at the other end, sends in a really inviting cross and De Ketelaere beats Cubarsí to it to head it past Simón!

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Updated at 15.55 EDT

39 min Some frankly ridiculous one-touch passing from Spain in the final third ends with Oyarzabal trying to backheel the ball into Olmo’s path on the edge of the box. It’s snuffed out by that was nice, very nice.

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37 min Baena tries to bring down a long ball over the Belgium defence but does so with his arm. The subsequent shot, saved by Courtois at his near post, matters not at all. It’s a free-kick.

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36 min Baena dummies the free-kick and it’s Yamal who strikes it, low to the keeper’s side. Courtois gets down to save but pushes it back into the box. When Spain work the following corner across the edge of the area, Olmo runs straight into Michael Oliver, who looks very embarrassed indeed.

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34 min Yamal teases De Cuyper and Doku, trying to draw a challenge as he sneaks into the area. The ball is recycled and a deeper Yamal skips past Doku again, this time winning a free-kick on the edge of the box in a very inviting position.

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32 min The game is stopped as Castagne catches one in the face, I think off Cucurella who was challenging an aerial ball with Vanaken. There’s blood – he’ll probably have to change his shirt. The game goes on without him.

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GOAL! Spain 1-0 Belgium (Ruiz 30)

Fabián Ruiz, the man who came into the side today, gives Spain the lead! Porro plays a one-two with Yamal, sends a low ball into the box that Olmo strikes first-time. Courtois gets down well to stop it but Ruiz is there to scramble it home.

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Updated at 15.45 EDT

28 min It’s a scrappy restart to the game as Doku and De Bruyne threaten to combine down the Belgium left until Porro intervenes. Yamal uses the outside of his boot to stick a ball into the box … and into the gloves of Courtois.

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After a bit of Shakira blasted over the loudspeakers, we are back under way.

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Jeff Rueter

More from Jeff live from the Los Angeles Stadium press box …

True to the custom of this World Cup-gone-Hollywood, the big screens have cycled through a handful of big names already. Javier Bardem is a real crowd-pleaser, trying to rile up the Spanish faithful. Brad Pitt and Noel Gallagher were a bit more demure, though Gallagher’s son snuck a flip of the bird in. Widespread approval of Issa Rae in a Coca-Cola adidas kit.

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