Spain 2-1 Belgium: A Coach's Match Review

FIFA World Cup 2026, Quarter-final — Los Angeles Stadium, Inglewood, Friday 10 July 2026.

Spain 2 (Fabián Ruiz 30', Mikel Merino 88') — Belgium 1 (Charles De Ketelaere 41')

The headline

Spain are in a World Cup semi-final for the first time since they lifted the trophy in 2010, and once again it was Mikel Merino who settled a knockout tie from the bench. Four days after his injury-time winner against Portugal, Merino was on the pitch for less than two minutes when Belgium's substitute goalkeeper Senne Lammens spilled Pau Cubarsí's long-range strike, and the Arsenal midfielder buried the rebound with his second touch of the game.

The night also carried a landmark at the other end: Charles De Ketelaere's first-half header was the first goal Spain had conceded in the entire tournament, ending Unai Simón's World Cup-record shutout run of 650 minutes stretching back to Qatar. Spain now meet France in Arlington on Tuesday — a semi-final between the tournament's two unbeaten heavyweights.

How the game was won

The pattern was set early and never really changed: Spain monopolised the ball and the territory, while Belgium sat compact and looked to strike through moments. Luis de la Fuente freshened his midfield — Fabián Ruiz rewarded the call by following in a rebound on 30 minutes after Spain's wave of pressure finally cracked the block open. Belgium's response was their one clean first-half chance, and they took it: Timothy Castagne's cross was met by De Ketelaere, who out-muscled the teenage centre-back Cubarsí and headed past Simón on 41 minutes.

The tie then turned on two forced goalkeeping events. Thibaut Courtois, who had made four saves, pulled up after a long kick and left in tears at the hydration break with a muscle injury. Lammens came on cold for his first World Cup minutes — and when Cubarsí let fly from distance on 88 minutes, the loose ball he surrendered was devoured by Merino. Belgium threw Romelu Lukaku forward late, but Aymeric Laporte's acrobatic clearance in stoppage time closed the door.

Selected match stats. Sources: Sofascore, AP, ESPN.

Coaching lesson: the substitute's first involvement

Merino's winner came one minute and 57 seconds after he entered. That is not luck alone — it is a rehearsed mentality. The best impact substitutes arrive with a pre-agreed job ("attack the box on every shot, every cross") rather than a vague instruction to "make something happen." Merino himself described it as preparing for the moment and trusting that a mistake could come. When you make attacking changes late in a tight game, give each substitute one concrete, repeatable action to perform from their very first involvement. A player who knows exactly what his first two touches are for is switched on before the game ever asks him a question.

Coaching lesson: test the cold goalkeeper

Cubarsí's 88th-minute strike from distance was, on paper, a low-value shot — the kind possession teams are often coached out of. Context changes chance quality. Lammens had been on the pitch for barely a quarter of an hour, in his first World Cup match, having not expected to play. A goalkeeper entering cold has had no build-up of handling rhythm, and long-range shots, driven crosses and early deliveries all carry inflated value against him. When the opposition are forced into a goalkeeping change, your team should have a trigger: shoot early, shoot often, and flood the six-yard box for the spill. Spain did precisely that, and it won them the tie.

Coaching lesson: efficiency against a possession giant

Belgium generated 0.38 xG and still led the xG-per-shot argument where it mattered: their solitary clear first-half chance became a goal. Rudi Garcia's side showed how a compact mid-block can live with 62 per cent opposition possession if the counter-moments are executed at full commitment — a genuine cross delivered early, and a forward attacking the first contact with real physicality. De Ketelaere's goal was won in the duel, not the delivery: he moved Cubarsí with his body before the ball arrived. If you coach an underdog game model, drill the finishing patterns of your few chances with the same volume that possession teams drill their build-up.

Coaching lesson: planning for forced changes

Belgium lost their captain Youri Tielemans to injury in the warm-up, were already without Amadou Onana, and then lost Courtois — the spine of the team removed by events, not tactics. Tournaments are attritional, and your matchday protocols matter: who re-organises the midfield when the warm-up changes the team sheet? What is the second goalkeeper's activation routine so a 71st-minute entry is not truly "cold"? Garcia said the stars were not aligned, and he is right — but preparation is how a staff narrows the space luck operates in.

What each coach takes forward

Luis de la Fuente got his rotation right — he wanted "freshness" from Fabián Ruiz and got a goal from it — and his bench has now won Spain consecutive knockout rounds. The concern is the concession: a physical runner attacking the back post overpowered his young centre-back. France, with their aerial and transitional power, will have noted it. Spain's unbeaten run in competitive fixtures now stretches to 37 games, but Tuesday is a step up in transition threat.

Rudi Garcia leaves with a structure that restricted Spain to moments for long spells and a clear identity around De Ketelaere's generation. Belgium looked Spain "straight in the eye," as he put it, and their 18-match unbeaten run ended only via a goalkeeping accident. The rebuild question is depth: when three spine players disappeared, the margin disappeared with them.

Three things to coach from this game

• Give every late substitute one concrete first-involvement task — Merino's winner on his second touch is what a scripted entrance looks like.
• Build a "cold keeper" trigger into your attacking plan: when the opposition change goalkeeper mid-game, shoot from range early and swarm rebounds.
• Defend the first contact on crosses: De Ketelaere beat his marker with body position before the ball arrived — train centre-backs to win the duel, not just the ball.