Belgium ended Unai Simon’s record streak of 650 minutes; Spain advanced to the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup

Spain’s incredible defensive run at the FIFA World Cup has finally come to an end, but it wasn’t enough to see them through to the semi-finals. Goalkeeper Unai Simón’s record streak of 650 minutes off was ended by Belgium in the quarter-finals on Friday before Spain secured a 2-1 victory thanks to a late goal from Mikel Merino.Belgium became the first team to score against Spain at this World Cup when Charles De Ketelaere found the net in the 41st minute to end Simon’s remarkable run without conceding a goal. Despite the setback, Spain have kept their title hopes alive and will now face tournament favorites France in Tuesday’s semi-final.

Simón set a new World Cup record

Before Belgium’s goal, Simón had gone 650 minutes without conceding at the World Cup, setting a new tournament record. His streak included six consecutive clean sheets, surpassing the previous record of 517 minutes set by Italy goalkeeper Walter Zenga at the 1990 World Cup.The run began after Spain’s round of 16 match against Morocco at the 2022 World Cup and continued into this year’s tournament, which included a goalless draw against Cape Verde and four straight wins without conceding.

Merino delivers again

Spain looked set for extra time after Fabián Ruiz’s opener was canceled out by Belgium. Ruiz put Spain ahead in the 30th minute but De Ketelaere equalized 11 minutes later with a header from Timothy Castagne’s cross.The game was decided in the 88th minute when Merino, who had just come on as a substitute, reacted the quickest after Belgian goalkeeper Senne Lammens spilled Pau Cubarsí’s powerful shot. The Arsenal midfielder scored with his second touch of the game to send Spain into the last four.Merino was also the hero for Spain in the previous round, scoring the stoppage-time winner in a 1-0 win over Portugal.

Belgium is suffering from late grief

Belgium were forced to make a goalkeeping change in the 71st minute after veteran goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois went off with an apparent thigh injury. He was replaced by back-up goalkeeper Senne Lammens but was unable to keep out the late winner Merino.Belgium pushed hard for another equalizer in the closing minutes but Aymeric Laporte snuffed out their best chance as Spain held on for victory.The win extended Spain’s unbeaten streak to 37 matches, a streak that dates back to March 2023.