Mikel Merino came off the bench again to save Spain, scoring the go-ahead goal in the 88th minute to defeat Belgium 2-1 in a World ​Cup quarterfinal in Inglewood, California, on Friday (July 10, 2026).

A spot in the July 19 final will ‌be at stake when Spain plays France in Arlington, Texas, on ​Tuesday (July 14). The French are seeking a third straight trip to the ⁠final having won in 2018 before losing on penalties to Argentina four years ago.

Merino, who was on the field less than six minutes before scoring the winner in second-half stoppage ‌time against Portugal in the round of 16 on Monday, entered in the 86th minute and smashed in a rebound after substitute goalkeeper ‌Senne Lammens spilled a soft shot by Pau Cubarsi.

Lammens replaced the ‌injured ⁠Thibaut Courtois (four saves) in the 71st minute.

In the second minute ⁠of second-half stoppage time, Spain defender Aymeric Laporte bailed out goalkeeper Unai Simon with a clearance in front of the goal.

Spain had not conceded a goal in the tournament through five matches ​but found themselves tied 1-1 at the ‌half.

Fabian Ruiz put Spain ahead in the 30th minute with a rebound off a shot by Dani Olmo but a header by Charles De Ketelaere in the 41st was the equalizer.

Spain almost opened the scoring in ‌the 21st but a strike by star Lamine Yamal, who turns 19 ​on Monday, was wide of the left post and the lead came soon after.

A cross by Pedro Poro from the left ⁠flank was well struck by Olmo at the center of the box, forcing a right-handed save by Courtois.

Ruiz, who got the start over Barcelona’s Pedri in ‌the midfield, was in perfect position for the putback.

La Roja allowed Belgium back into the match with uncharacteristic poor clearing and Timothy Castagne sent a service in from the right to De Ketelaere, who got inside positioning on Pau Cubarsi and powered the ball past Unai Simon.

The goal came a minute after Yamal again was just off target from distance, this time at the right post, ending ‌Simon’s World Cup record stretch without conceding a goal at 650 minutes dating back to ​the 2022 World Cup.

It was wide open briefly at the hour mark when Spain’s Lamine Yamal, who twice had barely missed scoring, ⁠had a shot from outside the box stopped by Courtois.

At the other end, Kevin ⁠De Bruyne’s shot was saved before Spain responded and Courtois denied Mikel Oyarzabal at the right post.

Courtois (four saves) was replaced by Lammens in ‌the 71st minute after sustaining an apparent leg injury.

Belgium captain and midfielder Youri Tielemans sustained an undisclosed injury during warm-ups and was scratched from the ​starting lineup. Hans Vanaken replaced him.

Belgium had their 18-match unbeaten streak end. Spain claimed their only title in 2010.

In Boston, a city built by successive waves of migration and layered loyalties, France’s World Cup quarterfinal against Morocco will be more than a meeting of two sides. It is a rematch, a footballing test and a reunion of friends, of shared histories and of players whose lives have been shaped by both sides of the Mediterranean.

Four years ago in Qatar, France ended Morocco’s remarkable run in the semifinals. Thursday’s meeting at the Boston Stadium carries the memory of that night, but Morocco arrives with a different status now.

It is no longer merely the tournament’s surprise package or the first African side to reach the last four, as it has grown into its own ambition of giving the continent its first World Cup crown.

The tie is also threaded with deep personal and cultural overlap. Six members of Morocco’s squad were born in France, and five play their club football there, while 21 players of Les Bleus are of African or mixed heritage origin. Both set of players are linked by migration, colonial history, language and the steady traffic of players between academies and leagues.

Hakimi and Mbappe

The most visible expression of that intimacy may come in the duel between Kylian Mbappe and Achraf Hakimi. The pair grew close at Paris Saint-Germain between 2021 and 2024, with Hakimi later recalling how Mbappe helped him settle in France. But friendship has its limits in a World Cup quarterfinal. “He’s not my buddy on the pitch,” Hakimi said this week. For France, the match may also prove its first complete football examination of the tournament.

Didier Deschamps’ side has reached the last eight with a blend of control and attacking force, but its 1-0 win over Paraguay in the round of 16 was an uncomfortable one. Paraguay slowed the game, crowded central spaces and tried to drag France away from rhythm before Mbappe’s penalty settled a bad-tempered afternoon.

Deschamps knows Morocco will ask different and harder questions. “Morocco’s profile is not the one of Paraguay,” he said. “We met them four years ago in the semifinals. They played the AFCON final. They have top individuals. They are not here to play. They are here to win. We have to be ready and perform and deliver against this great team.”

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Mohamed Ouahbi’s Morocco can defend with discipline, but it is not built only to suffer. It has enough technical quality to keep the ball, enough pace to break with force and enough belief to treat this as a winnable tie rather than a grand occasion. In Hakimi and Brahim Diaz it has two of the most dangerous attacking outlets left in the competition, though Ismael Saibari, scorer of three goals, remains in doubt after suffering a thigh injury against Canada.

France still has one of the tournament’s most dangerous attacking lines in Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise, with the likes of Bradley Barcola in the bench. Mbappe’s penalty against Paraguay took him to seven goals for the tournament, and the Real Madrid forward will look to add a few more as he wages a personal battle for the golden boot with Messi and Haaland.

The quarterfinal might reveal more about France’s structure than stardust. Morocco is organised enough to close spaces, athletic enough to press and brave enough to believe that this tie can be played on its own terms.

For France, a place in a third consecutive World Cup semifinal is at stake, while Morocco will try to turn a match shaped by friendship and shared heritage into the result that rewrites an old World Cup wound.