Spain 2-1 Belgium: Merino's Late Goal Books a France Semifinal

Mikel Merino came off the bench and scored in the 88th minute, and Spain are into the World Cup 2026 semifinal. Spain beat Belgium 2-1 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on Friday, July 10, after Fabian Ruiz opened the scoring, Charles De Ketelaere equalized, and Merino pounced on a spilled save to win it. La Roja now meet France in Arlington on Tuesday, July 14, with a place in the final on the line.

It was Spain's first goal conceded in the entire tournament. It arrived at the worst possible time, and Spain still found a way through inside the last two minutes.

Spain 2-1 Belgium: What Happened at SoFi Stadium

Fabian Ruiz put Spain ahead with a clean finish and the favorites looked in control. Belgium, playing without Amadou Onana after his ACL rupture in the Round of 16 win over the United States, hung around and struck back through De Ketelaere. That goal ended a Spanish clean-sheet run that had stretched across the group stage and both knockout rounds.

The match turned in the 71st minute, and not on a shot. Thibaut Courtois dropped to the turf with a thigh injury, needed treatment, and walked to the bench in tears as backup Senne Lammens came on. Belgium's goalkeeper had been one of the reasons the game was level, and losing him with 20 minutes left changed the calculus completely.

Spain kept pressing and got their reward in the 88th. Lammens could not hold a Spanish effort, the rebound fell to Merino, and the substitute turned it into the roof of the net. It was the second straight major tournament in which Merino has scored a decisive late goal for Spain, and it sent the neutral crowd in Los Angeles into the semifinal picture with the host cities buzzing.

The Numbers That Mattered

1. Merino's winner landed in the 88th minute, off the bench, off a goalkeeping error. 2. De Ketelaere's equalizer was the first goal Spain had conceded across five matches at this World Cup. 3. Courtois exited in the 71st minute with a thigh problem, and Belgium conceded within 17 minutes of the change.

Spain have now won every match they have played at this tournament while conceding just once. Belgium exit at the quarterfinal stage, the same round where a generation of Belgian golden-era talent has repeatedly run out of road.

Betting and DFS Impact

The result reshapes the outright and semifinal markets, not the scoreline itself. Spain move on to face France, and the opening semifinal prices reflect a genuine coin flip. Bet365 posted France at +130 on the three-way moneyline, a Spain win in regulation at +210, and the 90-minute draw at +225 as of Saturday, July 11. The prediction market Kalshi had France near a 61-cent (-156) favorite and Spain around +150, so the two markets agree that France are marginal favorites and nothing more.

For prop builders, the Courtois injury is the file to watch on the other side of this result. It does not touch the Spain-France semifinal directly, but it is a reminder that goalkeeper markets and clean-sheet props swing on a single substitution. Spain conceding their first goal of the tournament should nudge any Spain clean-sheet price out for Tuesday, and it puts a little more weight on the France anytime-scorer board. Reconfirm every number at your book before kickoff, because semifinal lines move fast once lineups drop. Our Belgium vs Spain quarterfinal preview has the pre-match read for context on how the market got here.

What to Watch Next

Spain vs France is the headline, and it is a rematch of recent European heavyweight meetings on the biggest stage the sport offers in North America. Spain will want to know how the late drama at SoFi affects their rotation, and whether the defense that leaked its first goal can handle Kylian Mbappe four days later. Our France 2-0 Morocco quarterfinal recap covers how Les Bleus reached this semifinal.

For Belgium, the questions are longer term. Another quarterfinal exit, another tournament where the talent was there and the final push was not.

Chad AI prices every World Cup prop, To Advance market and Golden Boot line inside the app. Track the reads on our soccer daily picks page, the AI soccer predictions hub and the Chad picks hub. ESPN has the full Spain 2-1 Belgium match report if you want the blow by blow.

FAQ

What was the final score of Spain vs Belgium in the World Cup 2026 quarterfinal? Spain won 2-1 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on Friday, July 10. Fabian Ruiz and Mikel Merino scored for Spain, and Charles De Ketelaere scored for Belgium.

Who scored the winning goal for Spain? Mikel Merino, a second-half substitute, scored in the 88th minute after Belgium backup goalkeeper Senne Lammens could not hold a shot and Merino turned home the rebound.

Why did Thibaut Courtois leave the game? Courtois went down with a thigh injury in the 71st minute, received treatment, and was replaced by Senne Lammens. He walked to the bench in tears.

Who does Spain play in the World Cup 2026 semifinal? Spain face France on Tuesday, July 14 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, with a place in the final at stake.

Was this the first goal Spain conceded at the 2026 World Cup? Yes. De Ketelaere's equalizer for Belgium was the first goal Spain had conceded in the tournament, ending a clean-sheet run across the group stage and the first two knockout rounds.

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