Spain faced Belgium in the second quarter-final of the 2026 World Cup on Friday.
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The European powerhouse pair locked horns in Los Angeles to set up a final-four showdown with France. La Roja unsurprisingly dominated proceedings early on but struggled to break down the Red Devils as Rodri and Alex Baena saw efforts blocked.
At the other end of the pitch, Marc Cucurella put his body on the line to deny Charles De Ketelaere in a tense start to the quarter-final encounter. Lamine Yamal fired off the first clear chance in the 20th minute, though he dragged his effort wide from the edge of the box.
However, it was the Euro 2024 winners who drew first blood on the half hour mark. Dani Olmo forced a fine low stop from Thibaut Courtois, but Fabian Ruiz was on hand to fire Spain in front.
Yamal twice came close before the break. Indeed, the winger saw a free-kick saved by Courtois before firing into the side netting at the Belgian’s near post. Spain’s failure to make their dominance count proved costly as Belgium drew level in the 41st minute.
Charles De Ketelaere headed Timothy Castagne’s cross past Unai Simon as the Spain number one picked the ball out of his net for the first time in North America. Luis de la Fuente’s side sought to maximise their dominance shortly after the break, though Yamal’s effort was deflected behind for a corner.
Nicolas Raskin, meanwhile, rifled a high shot into the side netting following some good work by Jeremy Doku for the Red Devils before De la Fuente called on the cavalry as Pedri and Ferran Torres replaced Ruiz and Alex Baena. Courtois was again equal to a Yamal effort, while Kevin De Bruyne forced Simon into action as the clock ticked towards the 90.
And as the game seemed destined for extra time, who else but Mikel Merino bagged the winner to send Spain into the semi-finals. Substitute goalkeeper Senne Lammens fumbled a low Pau Cubarsi drive into the path of the midfielder, who made no mistake from six yards.
Belgium pressed for a late equaliser to take the tie to extra time but were unable to net a second as Spain set up a semi-final meeting with France.
Spain’s struggles despite dominating
Spain were expected to dictate the tempo against Belgium. Famed for their possession-based game, La Roja didn’t disappoint. They were all over the Red Devils from the outset and, on the balance of play, were deserving winners.
They managed 67.8% possession and mustered 17 efforts on goal. Even so, they truly struggled to make their dominance count until Mikel Merino’s late winner. This is a worry for Spain.
Yes, they can retain the ball with ease but the profligacy could have come back to haunt them against Belgium. They may not be so lucky against France in next week’s semi-final. Les Bleus, after all, are now the outright favourites to go the distance in North America.
Mikel Merino the saviour
Mikel Merino is an enigma. The central midfielder has so often been the ace up the sleeve for both club and country. When Arsenal needed an auxiliary striker, they turned to the midfielder.
He struck seven times in his debut season with the Gunners, and added four in an injury-hit 2025-26 campaign. And he’s again coming up trumps for La Roja. Having struck a late winner against Portugal in the round-of-16, he repeated the feat in the quarter-final victory over Belgium.
Again, he was in the right place at the right time to fire Spain into the next round. As Mikel Oyarzabal struggled to gain a foothold against a low Belgium backline, Merino was the saviour once more for Luis de la Fuente. It’s hardly an ideal position to be in, yet if he’s delivering the goods; then so be it.
The importance of the Pau Cubarsi-Rodri combination
Yes, it took Spain until the 88th minute to find the winner against Belgium. However, they were able to huff and puff until the death courtesy of the partnership between Pau Cubarsi and Rodri.
The duo rank first and second for total passes at the 2026 World Cup. They were Spain’s top passers in the victory over the Red Devils. What was key, though, was that the duo were hugely effective in setting Spain on the frontfoot.
La Roja had ample time on the ball at the back, which allowed Cubarsi to regularly play into Rodri. Of the former’s 89 passes, 18 were for the latter, the centre-back’s most frequent outlet. And as Rodri eased past his markers, he was able to switch the play quickly to the flanks. Six completed long passes was more than any other Spain player.
Spain left it late to win another knockout match. Without Cubarsi and Rodri, they wouldn’t have had the chance to keep the ball rolling in Los Angeles.
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