The substitute's ghost: Merino strikes again and Spain knock Belgium out without Courtois or Tielemans

Before kick-off, Belgium had already lost their captain. Youri Tielemans injured himself in the warm-up and didn't take the field — a cruel blow for a team that badly needed midfield organization in the hardest game of the tournament.

At 71 minutes, with the score at 1-1, came the second blow, even worse: Thibaut Courtois went off injured and gave way to reserve Senne Lammens. The best goalkeeper in the world of the last decade left the pitch precisely when Belgium needed him most.

And then, at 86, Mikel Merino came on. One minute and fifty-seven seconds later, Pau Cubarsí shot from inside the box, Lammens parried poorly and Merino got there before anyone: 2-1 to Spain.

It's Merino's second decisive World Cup goal from the bench. The first eliminated Cristiano Ronaldo in the round of 16. The second eliminated Belgium's Golden Generation. Spain's bench has become the most feared weapon in the competition.

The previous World Cup meeting

The last time Spain and Belgium met at a World Cup was in 1990 in Italy, in the group stage. In a match Spain needed to win to advance, they took it 2-1 — goals from Górriz and Míchel. Belgium lost but still advanced on goal difference.

The most epic clash between the two at a World Cup, however, had come four years earlier. In 1986, in Mexico, in the quarterfinals, they drew 1-1 in extra time. On penalties, Belgium won 5-4 and eliminated Spain in one of the greatest results in Belgian history. Forty years later, in Los Angeles, Spain settled the debt — with a substitute who came on at 86 minutes.

Head-to-head

Spain at World Cups

The Spain of 2026 is the logical continuation of a generation that has been rewriting European football. World title in 2010, Euros in 2008, 2012 and 2024, and now Lamine Yamal as the face of a new era. La Roja are the most consistent side in the world over the last two decades — and they reach the semifinal without yet showing their best game.

Belgium at World Cups

Belgium's Golden Generation arrived at the 2026 World Cup with one last chance to win the only trophy missing from the group's résumé. De Bruyne at 35, Courtois at 34, Lukaku at 33, Witsel still in the squad. The window was closing — and closed at SoFi Stadium, without their captain from the warm-up and without their starting goalkeeper from 71 minutes.

Spain's standouts

Mikel Merino (Arsenal, 29). Not once has he started at this World Cup. Came on in the round of 16 against Portugal and scored at 90+1 — eliminating Cristiano Ronaldo. Came on in the quarterfinal against Belgium and scored at 88 — eliminating the Golden Generation. Two games as a substitute, two decisive goals, two knockouts secured. No substitute has that record in the recent history of the tournament.

Fabián Ruiz (PSG, 28). Opened the scoring at 30, inside the box, after a typical La Roja combination — quick circulation, space created, precise finish. The game's numbers (68% possession, 598 accurate passes, 19 shots) were built on that kind of movement. Ruiz is one of the most consistent executors in this collective.

Lamine Yamal (Barcelona, 19). He hasn't turned 20 and he is already the most dangerous player at this World Cup with every touch. Against Belgium, he was a nightmare on the right — dribbling, accelerating, cutting inside, forcing fouls (Laporte's yellow came from a challenge on him). No goals or direct assists, but his presence opened the spaces Fabián and Merino used to decide.

Belgium's standouts

Charles De Ketelaere (Atalanta, 24). With Spain dominating (xG 2.04 to 0.36), he found a spark of individual brilliance to level at 41. It's already his third goal at the World Cup. In a tournament in which the Golden Generation may have played their last World Cup together, De Ketelaere was the youngest and the top scorer. Belgium's future is 24 years old.

Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid, 34). Went off injured at 71 with the score at 1-1. While he was on the pitch, he was the reason the scoreline didn't escalate to 3 or 4-0 before the break. At 34, in what may have been his last World Cup, he left without choosing the moment. It is hard to imagine a more unfair farewell for one of the greatest goalkeepers in tournament history.

Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City, 35). Did the possible with the impossible: Belgium had 32% possession and only 244 accurate passes in the entire game. There was neither ball nor space for his club-level quality to appear. Still, he stayed to the end trying. It's the image of this Golden Generation — always trying, rarely with the right tools to win the biggest tournament in the world.

Market value: €1 billion vs €550 million

Spain's squad is valued at over €1 billion, with Lamine Yamal as the most valuable player in the group (€180M on Transfermarkt in 2026). At 19, Yamal is already one of the world's most valuable players — and in five years could be the most expensive of all. Belgium's squad totals approximately €550 million, with De Ketelaere at the top (€65M) — a number that should rise after this World Cup.

Match facts

• 30' — Fabián Ruiz (ESP)
• 41' — Charles De Ketelaere (BEL) — 3rd goal of the tournament
• 88' — Mikel Merino (ESP) — 1'57'' after coming on
• 71' — Courtois off injured, Lammens on
• Pre-match — Tielemans (captain) injured in the warm-up

How the match developed

Spain dominated from the start with a possession intensity that Belgium — already without Tielemans since the warm-up — never managed to sustainably counter. Fabián Ruiz opened at 30 with a classic La Roja finish and it looked like the prologue to a rout. But De Ketelaere, with the individual quality he has shown throughout the tournament, replied at 41: 1-1 at the break.

The second half was more of the same — Spain piling up possession and chances, Belgium resisting with discipline. Until at 71 Courtois felt his muscle and came off. The Belgian bench fell silent. With Merino on from 86, the Spanish pressure escalated. At 88, Cubarsí shot inside the box, Lammens spilled it into the middle and Merino was first to react. 2-1.

Next opponent

Spain play the semifinal against France — a duel of the two most valuable squads at the tournament and a rematch of the Euro 2024 semifinal, when La Roja won 2-1. Belgium head home ending an era: probably the last World Cup of De Bruyne, Courtois, Lukaku and Witsel together, eliminated in one of the cruellest games of the tournament.