Spain edged past Belgium 2-1 in a tight World Cup quarterfinal, booking their place in the last four with a late winner from Mikel Merino. The Spanish dominated possession and chances throughout but needed a dramatic 88th-minute goal to separate the sides after Belgium had battled back to level before half-time.
Fabián Ruiz opened the scoring for Spain in the 30th minute with a crisp finish, but Belgium responded just before the break when Charles De Ketelaere tucked home Timothy Castagne's cross to make it 1-1 at half-time. The match stayed poised until Merino pounced from close range two minutes from time, sparking Spanish celebrations.
The box score reflected Spain's control: they had 68% possession, 17 shots to Belgium's five, and an expected goals tally of 2.08 against 0.37. Yet Belgium's goalkeeper made six saves to keep them in it, and Spain were clinical with two of their two big chances, while Belgium scored their only one. Four bookings — Pau Cubarsí, Kevin De Bruyne, Aymeric Laporte and Axel Witsel — added to a competitive edge.
