Merino... The Super Substitute Continues His Miracles

A late goal from “super-sub” Mikel Merino propelled Spain into the 2026 World Cup quarterfinals, as they defeated Belgium 2-1 on Friday in Los Angeles.

At the stunning SoFi Stadium, in front of 70,000 spectators, Spain’s European champions scored through Fabian Ruiz (30) and substitute Merino (88), while Belgium’s Charles De Ketelaere (41) replied, setting up a fiery quarterfinal clash with France, who beat Morocco 2-0 on Tuesday in Dallas.

Spain dominated most of the match but struggled to find effectiveness from their young star Lamine Yamal. Meanwhile, Belgium paid the price for captain Youri Tielemans’ injury during warm-ups and the absence of the injured Amadou Onana, followed by the late exit of their towering goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. His replacement, Seny Lynen, made a mistake that cost his country elimination from the tournament.

This marks Spain’s first quarterfinal appearance since 2010, when they won their only World Cup title.

The match was played at 12:00 p.m. US Western Time under temperatures of 24 degrees Celsius, with bright sunlight barely mitigated by the transparent roof of the stadium in Inglewood.

The stands were awash in red, the color symbolizing both national teams, but the Spanish presence was clearly dominant, with chants rising every time “La Roja” possessed the ball or created a chance.

Spain had waited until the final moments to eliminate their neighbor Portugal in the round of 16, when Arsenal striker Merino came off the bench to score the only goal of that match in stoppage time of the second half, and repeated his feat by scoring the winner just two minutes after coming on.

Before that, Spain topped their group with a 0-0 draw against Cape Verde, wins over Saudi Arabia (4-0) and Uruguay (1-0), before comfortably beating Austria 3-0 in the round of 32.

Belgium, meanwhile, produced their best performance of the tournament in the round of 16, thrashing host nation United States 4-1 in Seattle.

Prior to that, coach Rudi Garcia’s team drew 1-1 with Egypt in their opener, then 0-0 with Iran, before securing qualification with a convincing 5-1 win over New Zealand.

In the round of 32, they staged one of the greatest comebacks in tournament history, coming back from a 2-0 deficit against Senegal until the 86th minute to win 3-2 after extra time.

Spain’s coach Luis de la Fuente made only one change compared to the lineup that faced Portugal in the round of 16, benching Pedri for the first time in an international tournament with Spain, and playing Fabian Ruiz alongside captain Rodri in midfield.

For Belgium, veteran captain Kevin De Bruyne returned after missing the win over the United States. Midfielder Amadou Onana had suffered a knee injury that ended his tournament campaign, while Tielemans was injured during warm-ups. Hans Vanaken dropped into a deeper midfield role, and Jeremy Doku replaced Dodi Lukébakio on the wing.

Spain controlled the ball in the opening ten minutes, which saw Yamal fire a shot just wide of the post, and continued their dominance until the 30th minute when they converted it into a goal. Dani Olmo delivered a pass from the edge of the box that Courtois struggled to save, setting up Ruiz, who scored with defensive assistance.

After Yamal’s free kick forced Courtois to dive with difficulty to save it (35), the Barcelona talent manipulated the defense on his right side and fired a dangerous shot that went just wide (40).

What Spain feared came to pass: from a rare attack on the right flank, full-back Timothy Castagne delivered a cross that found Charles De Ketelaere in an ideal position in front of Pau Cubarsí, who headed it into the heart of Unai Simón’s goal (41).

The first goal was scored against Spain after five matches. De Ketelaere, the Atalanta player, netted his third goal in the current World Cup, matching his total tally from the entire Italian league season last year. Early in the second half, De la Fuente made two attacking substitutions, bringing on Pedri and Ferran Torres for Alex Baena and Roye (55th minute). Garcia responded quickly by introducing Lukaku, Axel Witsel, and Joakin Ciss.

With just twenty minutes remaining in regular time, the match took a decisive turn when Courtois was forced off with a thigh injury, replaced by Lamine. This change had a significant impact on the outcome of the game. Just two minutes after coming on, Lamine missed a save from a Merino shot, which had originated from Pau Cubarsi’s long-range effort. The ball slipped through his hands and fell perfectly to the Arsenal player, who replicated his performance from the previous match against Portugal by scoring the winning goal in stoppage time.