Super Sub Merino Strikes Again! Spain Reaches the World Cup Semis
Quick Summary
Spain defeated Belgium 2-1 in a thrilling World Cup quarterfinal on Friday, July 10. The winning goal came in the 88th minute — just two minutes before the final whistle! Spain will now face France in the semifinals.
What Happened?
The game was played at Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood, California, in front of a huge crowd. Spain, the reigning European champions, faced Belgium — a talented team that had beaten the United States in the round of 16.
Spain scored first. Fabián Ruiz put the ball in the net in the 30th minute after the Belgian goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, could not hold onto a shot. It was a big moment — Belgium is a very tough team to score against.
But Belgium fought back. Charles De Ketelaere scored to tie it 1-1 in the 41st minute. It was the very first goal Spain had allowed in the entire tournament. Until that moment, Spain’s goalkeeper had not let in a single goal.
Then Belgium’s bad luck began. Courtois — one of the world’s best goalkeepers — got injured and had to leave the field in tears in the 73rd minute. Backup goalkeeper Senne Lammens came in. He had not played a single minute in this World Cup before that moment.
With just two minutes left in the game, Spain made one more push. Substitute Mikel Merino — who had only just entered the game — pounced on a rebound that Lammens accidentally let slip from his hands. Merino tapped it in for the winning goal.
It was the second straight match where Merino came off the bench and scored a last-minute winner for Spain. The crowd erupted.
“I trust myself and I know what to do whenever I have the chance,” Merino said after the game.
Spain now moves on to face France in the semifinals on Tuesday in the Dallas area.
Why Does It Matter?
This is Spain’s chance to win back-to-back World Cup titles — they last won the tournament in 2010. France is a powerful opponent and also a favorite to win the whole tournament. Spain has not lost a game in regular time in over two years.
Meanwhile, tonight in Miami (Saturday, July 11 at 5 p.m. Eastern time), England faces Norway in another quarterfinal — with star striker Erling Haaland leading Norway and Harry Kane captaining England. The winner will play in the other semifinal slot.
Big Words
- Quarterfinal — the round of a tournament where eight teams remain and four games are played, leaving four teams.
- Semifinal — the next round after the quarterfinal, where four teams play two games, leaving only two finalists.
- Substitute — a player who comes off the bench to replace a teammate already playing in the game.
- Rebound — a ball that bounces back after hitting the goalposts or a goalkeeper’s hands.
- Goalkeeper — the player who stands in front of the goal and tries to stop the other team from scoring.
Fun Fact
Spain had not allowed any goals in their first five World Cup games this year — making Belgium’s equalizer the first they had given up in 519 minutes of play!
Think About It
Mikel Merino scored two match-winning goals as a substitute — coming off the bench both times. Why do you think coaches save some of their best players to bring on later in a game?
Sources
- AP / Today.com — Mikel Merino Stars Again as Spain Edges Belgium 2-1 in the World Cup Quarterfinals
- NBC News — Spain scores late goal to defeat Belgium 2-1, advances to meet France in semifinals
- CNN — Spain’s late winning goal breaks Belgian hearts to seal World Cup semifinal spot
- ESPN — World Cup recap: Merino scores winner for Spain vs. Belgium to advance to last four