Just like he did against Portugal in the Round of 16, Mikel Merino makes a big impact from the subs bench, scoring the winning goal as Spain defeat Belgium to advance to the semi-finals.
It was a game of contrasting styles, with La Roja’s intricate passing and fluid play dictating the pace of play, while the Red Devils sat compact in a mid-to-low block, absorbing pressure and looking to catch the Spanish off guard in position.
The stats bear this out. Spain had 68% possession and 17 shots (eight on target) with an expected goals (xG) of 2.04, while Belgium had 32% possession and five shots (two on target) with an expected goals of 0.36.
Spain found the opener in the 30th minute when Pedro Porro played a one-two with Lamine Yamal, leaving the Spanish right-back isolated with Jérémy Doku and giving him space for a first-time cross into the Belgian’s box. The low-driven cross found the feet of Dani Olmo, and despite Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois keeping him at bay with a good save, Fabián Ruiz pounced on the rebound with a close-range finish for the lead.
About 10 minutes later, the Red Devils equalized with captain Kevin De Bruyne picking out his right-back Timothy Castagne after recycling possession. Castagne then delivered a powerful cross into the far corner of the Spaniard’s penalty area, and just like he did against Tim Ream in the Round of 16, Charles De Ketelaere beat out Pau Cubarsí to head it home past Spanish goalkeeper Unai Simón to give Spain their first goal conceded in the tournament.
In the second half, Spain kept up the pressure, keeping the Belgians constantly on their toes.
But Belgium suffered a huge blow in the 71st minute. After losing Amadou Onana and Youri Tielemans before the match due to injury, Courtois was then subbed off for backup goalkeeper Senne Lammens after injuring his thigh.
La Roja eventually found the breakthrough in the 88th minute when Cubarsi launched a speculative long-range shot goalwards. Lammens then spilled it towards the path of Merino, who was subbed on just two minutes earlier, and Spain’s super-sub hero hammered his shot from close range to give the Spaniards the lead that they eventually held onto until the end.
Spain will now head over to Dallas, Texas for its semi-final match on July 14 against rivals France.
Delivered by Sean Paul
