Spain 2-1 Belgium — World Cup 2026 Match Report

Spain edged a pulsating World Cup quarter-final in Los Angeles, beating Belgium 2-1 to book their spot in the last four. A dramatic 88th-minute winner settled a contest that had been level since the first half, sending La Roja into a mouth-watering semi-final showdown.

How The Match Unfolded

Belgium started the brighter of the two sides in front of a raucous Los Angeles crowd, with De Cuyper and De Bruyne going closest despite producing just 0.38 xG in total in the opening exchanges. Spain gradually wrestled control of the tempo, and the sides went into the break level at 1-1 following Ruiz and De Ketelaere’s goals in the first half .

The second half raised the stakes considerably, with the intensity going up a fair few notches, with chances aplenty at both ends and a number of near-misses . Spain pushed hard for a winner, backing up their first-half territorial dominance with Yamal, Oyarzabal, and Yamal again testing both Courtois and his injury-enforced replacement Lammens in the Belgian net , though the breakthrough proved elusive until deep into stoppage time.

Key Moments

The turning point arrived through a substitution. Mikel Merino scored in the 88th minute on a rebound yielded by backup Belgium goalkeeper Senne Lammens, and Spain advanced to the World Cup semifinals with a 2-1 victory . What made the goal remarkable was its timing off the bench — Merino’s introduction proved inspired as he popped up to score the winner just one minute and 57 seconds after coming off the bench, turning home the rebound of a Cubarsi shot which Lammens spilled into his path at close range .

Belgium threw everything at Spain in response, with Belgium throwing numbers into La Roja’s box as Raskin lined up a superb cross from the right-hand side , while at the other end Spain nearly wrapped things up, as Cucurella was played into space, driving towards the Belgium box and drilling a low strike straight into Lammens’ gloves . There was late drama on the counter too, as a turnover of possession in midfield allowed Doku to burst forward on the break for Belgium, until he was halted by Laporte bringing him to ground in a yellow card-worthy challenge . Spain held their nerve through the closing minutes to seal the win.

What It Means

This result is enormous for Spanish football’s ambitions on this stage. La Roja advance to their first World Cup semi-final since 2010 , and the win keeps alive the dream of a second World Cup crown, 16 years after their first . Their reward is a heavyweight last-four tie, as the result sets up another all-European clash against back-to-back finalists France in a potential epic .

For Belgium, this was a golden generation’s latest near-miss on the biggest stage, undone by a