2-1: Spain reaches the World Cup semifinals

Spain is the second semifinalist of the World Cup after defeating Belgium in the match held in Los Angeles. Fabián put the team ahead, De Ketelaere equalized before halftime, and Merino secured the 2-1 victory in the 88th minute. Cucurella played the full 90 minutes, and Courtois, who made several outstanding saves, was substituted in the 70th minute due to an injury. Spain will face France on July 14 for a place in the final (10:00 pm CEST).

The team dominated possession from the start, but there were no notable chances in the opening minutes. Spain maintained its intensity and opened the scoring in the 30th minute through Fabián Ruiz, who capitalized inside the box on a rebound after a save by Courtois following an initial shot by Olmo. Four minutes later, the madridista goalkeeper prevented a second goal with a save on a free-kick attempt by Lamine Yamal. Despite Spain's dominance, De Ketelaere equalized the match with a header inside the box just before halftime (41’).

Spain decides
After the restart, the match maintained a high tempo, and Courtois made two more excellent saves, first on a shot from the edge of the box by Yamal and then on another attempt inside the box by Oyarzabal. However, in the 70th minute, he had to leave the field due to injury. In the 88th minute, Mikel Merino, who had entered the match two minutes earlier, took advantage of a rebound by Lammens after a long-range shot to score the decisive 2-1 goal, sealing Spain’s place in the semifinals.