Merino's late winner sends Spain past Belgium and into semi-finals

Spain booked their place in the World Cup semi-finals with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Belgium in Los Angeles on Friday. La Roja dominated much of the match but had to come from behind after Belgium equalized before halftime.

Fabian Ruiz opened the scoring in the 30th minute after Pedro Porro's sharp one-two with Lamine Yamal and a cutback found Dani Olmo, whose shot was parried by Thibaut Courtois, only for Ruiz to fire home the rebound. Spain controlled proceedings, but Belgium struck back in the 41st minute. Kevin De Bruyne fed Timothy Castagne, whose cross was headed in by Charles De Ketelaere, beating Pau Cubarsi. It was the first goal Spain conceded in the tournament.

Belgium were hit hard by injuries before the match: captain Youri Tielemans suffered a hamstring injury during warm-ups, joining Amadou Onana (ACL) on the sidelines. Spain continued to threaten after the break, but Belgium held firm. In the 70th minute, an emotional Courtois was forced off with an injury, replaced by 24-year-old Mark Lammens, making his World Cup debut.

The turning point came in the 88th minute. Lammens failed to hold a low shot from Cubarsi, and substitute Mikel Merino was first to the rebound to smash it home. It was Merino's second consecutive late winner from the bench, after his stoppage-time goal against Portugal. Belgium pushed for an equalizer, but Alexis Saelemaekers could not find Romelu Lukaku in front of an open goal in the dying moments.

Spain now face France in the semi-finals. For Belgium's aging "Golden Generation," it was another heartbreaking exit, while Spain celebrated briefly before turning their attention to the blockbuster clash.