Another heroic appearance from Mikel Merino secured Spain’s dramatic 2–1 victory over Belgium on Friday, booking La Roja’s place in the semifinals.
Luis de la Fuente’s squad were in control of the match from the opening whistle, passing circles around a Belgium team riddled with injuries. It felt like only a matter of time before the 2024 European champions got on the scoresheet, but Fabián Ruiz was certainly not the man pegged for the job.
Yet the midfielder was in the right place at the right time to bury a rebounded save from Thibaut Courtois to put Spain up 1–0 at the half-hour mark. Belgium responded just 11 minutes later, though, thanks to a powerful header from Charles De Ketelaere.
The game was deadlocked at 1–1 for much of the second half, with extra time looking like the unavoidable outcome until super sub Merino once again put on his cape and poked home a spilled save from Senne Lammens in the 88th minute.
Spain closed out the game and extended its unbeaten run to 36 matches across all competitions, a streak it will hope to continue next time out against France, with a trip to the World Cup final on the line.
Winners and Losers
Winners
Fabián Ruiz was the one change to the lineup De la Fuente made from the team’s triumph over Portugal, and the 30-year-old repaid his manager’s trust with a goal in his second start at this summer’s tournament. The Paris Saint-Germain star also helped Rodri control the game from midfield with his precise passing and did well to slow Belgium down in transition.
Mikel Merino truly lives up to the super sub billing. The Arsenal man only needed six minutes on the pitch to bag the winner against Portugal in the round of 16 and produced the same magic—this time just two minutes after he entered the game—to send Spain to the semifinals. The 30-year-old comes to life in the biggest moments on the biggest stages.
Losers
Pau Cubarsí might have fired the shot that forced the mistake from Lammens, but he came up short defensively on Friday. The Barcelona center back allowed De Ketelaere to get in front of him and could not even challenge for the ball the Belgium striker headed home. Cubarsí’s height and lack of strength let him down—and France’s lethal attack was no doubt taking notes.
Mikel Oyarzabal has been an unsung hero for Spain in North America, but he was rather anonymous against Belgium. He lacked the pace to make a difference in transition and received little service from his teammates to get involved in the action. By the time he came out of the game in the 79th minute, he had just one shot to his name.
Spain Player Ratings vs. Belgium (4-2-3-1)
GK: Unai Simón—6.5: Caught flat-footed on Belgium’s goal. Made a massive mistake coming off his line in stoppage time and needed Laporte to intervene, or else Belgium likely equalize and send the game to extra time.
RB: Pedro Porro—7.6: Didn’t get an assist, but provided a brilliant cut back to Dani Olmo that ultimately created the space for Spain’s opener. Shined the brightest when he linked up with Yamal. Did well to (mostly) contain Doku.
CB: Pau Cubarsí—7.5: A mixed bag. Completely outclassed by the towering De Ketelaere for Belgium’s equalizer. Showed off his passing range, carving Belgium’s entire defense with one ball over the top. Took the shot that Merino ultimately buried to win the game.
CB: Aymeric Laporte—7.1: Had a rather quiet game until he came up massively in stoppage time to make a potentially goal-saving challenge, bailing out Simón who was nowhere near his goal.
LB: Marc Cucurella—7.1: Nowhere near Timothy Castagne in the build-up to Belgium’s equalizer. Recovered well defensively as the game went on, but underwhelmed in the final third.
CM: Rodri—7.8: An all-around performance. Controlled the tempo from midfield, got back defensively to help Porro and even created two chances. Ended the game with a staggering 98 completed passes.
CM: Fabián Ruiz—7.6: Got the surprise nod over Pedri and reminded everyone of the two Champions League titles in his cabinet. Bagged the game’s opener with a clinical right-footed strike.
RW: Lamine Yamal—7.8: Surrounded by defenders every time he touched the ball, but that didn’t stop him from putting on a skills display. Made a mockery of Doku on several occasions. Started the action in the build-up to Spain’s opener.
AM: Dani Olmo—7.7: It was his shot that Ruiz buried to get Spain on the scoresheet first. Even more impressive, though, was his interception to stop Doku on a blistering counter attack just before halftime.
LW: Álex Baena—6.5: Made standout runs in behind, but there was no end product. Could have done more to close down Castagne before the fullback delivered the ball to set up De Ketelaere.
ST: Mikel Oyarzabal—7.4: A clash of heads with Olmo was about his only noteworthy action in the first half. Saw his only shot of the game comfortably saved. Never looked a threat to score.
SUB: Ferran Torres (55’ for Baena)—6.0: Had great movement off the ball, but his team could not find him when it mattered most.
SUB: Pedri (55’ for Ruiz)—6.6: Helped Spain pin Belgium inside its own half from the second he came on the pitch.
SUB: Nico Williams (79’ for Oyarzabal)—6.3: Completed just six passes in a forgetful cameo.
SUB: Mikel Merino (86’ for Olmo)—N/A
Subs not used: David Raya (GK), Joan García (GK), Eric Garcia, Marc Pubill, Marcos Llorente, Alex Grimaldo, Martín Zubimendi, Gavi, Borja Iglesias, Yéremy Pino, Víctor Muñoz.
What the Ratings Tell Us
- Pedri was overlooked by De la Fuente for the first time this summer, starting the game on the bench. For all his tidy passes, the midfielder has struggled to make a true impact for Spain on the world stage. On Friday, he looked much more keen to make passes into the final third, using his magical right foot to poke and prod at Belgium’s backline. Still, there’s a lack of end product that is becoming concerning.
- Lamine Yamal was no doubt Spain’s most dangerous player, but he was frustrated time and time again, first by Maxim De Cuyper and then by Joaquin Seys. The winger kept settling for poor shots in the second half instead of trying to feed his teammates. For a player that saw so much of the ball in the final third, he created zero chances on the night and just two of his six shots were on target.
The Numbers That Explain Spain’s Last-Gasp Win
- Spain unsurprisingly dominated the ball, enjoying 68% of possession at SoFi Stadium. Even more impressive were the 598 passes the hosts completed, completely taking Belgium out of the game for large stretches.
- For all their possession, La Roja only created two big chances in 90 minutes—but they only needed those two to secure the win.
- Belgium often had to resort to fouling to stop Spain, especially down the right flank. The Red Devils committed 18 fouls, but it still was not enough to survive.
| Statistic | Spain | Belgium |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 68% | 32% |
| xG | 2.08 | 0.37 |
| Total Shots | 17 | 5 |
| Shots on Target | 8 | 2 |
| Big Chances | 2 | 1 |
| Pass Accuracy | 90% | 78% |
| Fouls | 13 | 18 |
| Corners | 5 | 1 |
