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Mikel Merino stars again as Spain edges Belgium 2-1 in the World Cup quarterfinals

Spain and Belgium meet Friday at Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, California, for a high-stakes FIFA World Cup quarterfinal; the winner advances to the semifinals to face France in Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday.
Following dramatic tournament victories, Spain defeated Portugal 1-0 while Belgium secured its spot by defeating the United States 4-1; Spain seeks its first semifinal berth since 2010.
Arsenal teammates David Raya and Leandro Trossard face off as familiar opponents from the English Premier League, while Mikel Oyarzabal leads Spain with four tournament goals and Lukaku paces Belgium with three.
The Opta supercomputer heavily favors Spain, assigning a 69.81% chance of victory based on 10,000 pre-match simulations; Belgium, ranked eighth globally, has netted 12 goals in its last three matches.
Los Angeles is hosting numerous public viewing options for the 3 p.m. kickoff, including official fan zones at Venice Beach and the Whittier Narrows Recreation Area, alongside free watch parties at the Hammer Museum and MacArthur Park.

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Steady Spain push past heartbroken Belgium! | World Cup Daily

Total Soccer Show: USMNT, Champions League, EPL, and more ... discuss Spain’s 2-1 quarterfinal win over Belgium, capped by Mikel Merino’s late winner after Senne Lammens’ spill to send La Roja to the semifinals.

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238 Articles

Ada Derana

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Spain beat Belgium 2-1 to set up blockbuster World Cup semifinal with France

1 hour ago·Sri Lanka

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आज तक

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Spain Defeated Belgium to Reach the FIFA World Cup Semi-Finals, Will Face France

Spain defeated Belgium 2-1 in the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup 2026 to advance to the semi-finals. Super sub Mikel Merino scored the winning goal in the 88th minute to seal Spain's victory. They will now face Kylian Mbappé-led France in the semi-finals.

1 hour ago

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Reuters

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Merino strike sends Spain past Belgium into World Cup semis

2 hours ago·New York, United States

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Radio France Internationale

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Spain overcome Belgium to set up World Cup semi-final clash with France

Mikel Merino scored a late winner for the second game running to send Spain into the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup with a 2-1 victory over Belgium.

2 hours ago·Paris, France

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Bangkok Post

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Magic Merino strikes again as Spain down Belgium to reach World Cup semis

INGLEWOOD, California - ‌Super-sub Mikel Merino snatched another late winner for Spain on Friday after Belgium goalkeeper Senne Lammens failed to hold onto the ball as they claimed a 2-1 win over their injury-hit opponents and set up a World Cup semi-final clash with France.

2 hours ago·Bangkok, Thailand

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