Spain vs Belgium FIFA World Cup QF Match Result: Merino strikes again as Spain overcome Belgium to enter WC Semis

Spain’s Mikel Merino (6) celebrates after winning the World Cup quarterfinal between Spain and Belgium in Inglewood. (AP photo) Super sub Mikel Merino was the hero again when he scored a dramatic 88th-minute winner to send Spain into the World Cup semi-finals with a thrilling 2-1 win over Belgium on Friday.Spain will now face tournament favorites France in a sensational semi-final clash in Dallas on Tuesday. “It will be a clash of giants,” Spain coach Luis De La Fuente said after the match.The decisive moment came just two minutes after Merino entered the field. In the 88th minute, Pau Cubarsí unleashed a powerful strike from distance. Belgium substitute goalkeeper Senne Lammens tipped over the rebound to allow the Arsenal forward to charge and slot the ball home with only his second touch of the game. Merino had previously scored in the 91st minute against Portugal in the Round of 16.It was a heartbreaking end for Belgium, who lost star goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to a thigh injury in the 71st minute. Courtois left the pitch in tears and was replaced by Lammens.Earlier, Spain broke the deadlock in the 30th minute. Lamine Yamal and Pedro Porro combined brilliantly on the right wing to set up Dani Olmo. While Courtois blocked Olmo’s initial shot, Fabián Ruiz was in the perfect position to parry the ball away. Ruiz was surprisingly included in the starting eleven and replaced Pedri.Spain’s defensive resilience was on full display as they kept five consecutive clean sheets before this game. Goalkeeper Unai Simón went a World Cup record 650 minutes without conceding. However, that historic run came to an end in the 41st minute when Belgium’s Charles De Ketelaere rolled over Cubarsí and headed home Timothy Castagne’s accurate cross.Belgium suffered pre-match blows with Amadou Onana injured and captain Youri Tielemans dropped during the warm-up, although Kevin De Bruyne returned to the squad. Despite a desperate late surge led by Romelu Lukaku, Aymeric Laporte made a crucial acrobatic clearance in stoppage time to seal victory for Spain.With the win, Spain extended their incredible unbeaten run to 37 matches, while Belgium’s 18-match unbeaten streak ended.