Inglewood, California. The SoFi Stadium witnessed a quarter-final that only found its resolution deep in stoppage time. Spain defeated Belgium 2:1 to advance to the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup, where France now await. The reigning European champions controlled large spells of the contest, but were made to sweat until the 88th minute.
Fabián Ruiz Peña strikes — then the record falls
Spain seized the initiative from the outset. In the 30th minute the side coached by Luis de la Fuente got their reward: Dani Olmo's shot was parried by Thibaut Courtois, the rebound dropped straight to Fabián Ruiz Peña, who hammered an unstoppable finish into the net — 1:0. The PSG midfielder, who had already won Euro 2024 and the UEFA Nations League with Spain, scored his tournament goal at exactly the right moment.
What followed was a collective shock for the Spanish defence. Goalkeeper Unai Simón had entered this match having set a World Cup record: more than 650 minutes without conceding — a mark never previously reached at a World Cup. Charles De Ketelaere ended that run in the 41st minute. The Atalanta striker met a cross from Timothy Castagne, won the physical battle with Pau Cubarsí and headed precisely into the bottom-left corner — 1:1. It was the first goal Spain had conceded at the entire tournament.
Belgium battle on with two injury blows — and hold firm until the very end
Belgium had already been forced to prepare for kick-off under difficult circumstances. Captain Youri Tielemans was absent from the start having picked up an injury during the warm-up. The situation worsened in the second half when starting goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was forced off in the 71st minute through injury, with Senne Lammens taking over between the posts. Despite those personnel setbacks, Belgium maintained the draw for a long time — defending with discipline in a 4-2-3-1 against Spain's possession game.
Spain pushed for a winner in the closing stages. In the 86th minute, Mikel Merino came on for Dani Olmo. Just two minutes later the match was over: Pau Cubarsí's long-range effort was spilled by Lammens, and Merino was perfectly positioned to tap in at close range — 2:1 in the 88th minute. It was the second time in this tournament that Merino had come off the bench to score a late winner; he had shown exactly the same pattern in the round of 16 against Portugal. The fact that the Arsenal man was at the tournament at all was far from guaranteed: a foot operation before the World Cup had long cast doubt over his participation.
Assessment and outlook
Spain came through this quarter-final on the strength of their consistent form: across their last five matches they recorded four wins and a draw. Belgium had three wins and two draws over the same period — enough to reach the last eight, but not enough to go further. Spain now face France in the semi-final. The 2026 World Cup — the first edition to feature 48 teams across 12 groups, with the knockout round beginning at the round of 32 — has delivered an Iberian-French showdown for a place in the final.
