Spain beat Belgium 2-1 at Los Angeles Stadium on Saturday morning AEST, Mikel Merino scoring in the 88th minute to book a World Cup semi-final against France. It is Spain's second semi-final appearance and their first since 2010, the year they won the tournament.
Fabian Ruiz put Spain ahead in the 30th minute. Charles De Ketelaere levelled for Belgium in the 41st. The game stayed there until the 88th, when Belgium's substitute goalkeeper Senne Lammens spilled a low shot from Pau Cubarsi and Merino turned in the rebound. It was Merino's second late goal off the bench in consecutive matches, after he settled the round of 16 tie against Portugal.
Lammens was on the field because of what happened to Belgium's goalkeeping. Thibaut Courtois went off injured shortly after the hour, and Lammens, 24, came on for his World Cup debut. Courtois came out after full time to embrace him. Belgium had already lost their captain, Youri Tielemans, to a hamstring injury in the warm-up.
Lamine Yamal was named player of the match. The 18 year old had six shots and completed four dribbles in front of a crowd of 70,492. Kevin De Bruyne and Axel Witsel were booked. There were no red cards.
Yamal was asked afterwards about France. "There are two possibilities: either they reach three World Cup finals in a row, or we beat them three times," he said. "I don't know what might happen, but we're not afraid at all."
France arrived in the semi-final a day earlier, beating Morocco 2-0 in Boston. Kylian Mbappe scored in the 60th minute and set up Ousmane Dembele six minutes later. Mbappe had missed a penalty in the 28th, a weak effort saved comfortably by Yassine Bounou. Morocco were the last African side left in the tournament. France are now into a third successive World Cup semi-final.
The Golden Boot race is tight and unfinished. FIFA has Mbappe on eight goals, ahead of Lionel Messi on eight by virtue of more assists, with Erling Haaland on seven, Harry Kane on six and Dembele on five. Three of those five play this weekend.
The other two quarter-finals are Sunday morning AEST. Norway, in their first World Cup quarter-final after knocking out Brazil, play England in Miami at 7am. Argentina play Switzerland in Kansas City at 11am. The winners meet in the second semi-final in Atlanta.
France against Spain kicks off at Dallas Stadium at 5am AEST on Wednesday. SBS holds exclusive Australian rights to all 104 matches and is showing them free to air. The Socceroos went out in the round of 32, beaten 4-2 on penalties by Egypt after a 1-1 draw.
