---
title: "Spain edges Belgium on a late Merino goal at SoFi to reach the semifinals"
description: "Spain beat Belgium 2-1 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on Friday, with substitute Mikel Merino striking late again to send the tournament favorites into a World Cup semifinal against France. The quarterfinal was the marquee moment of Los Angeles' turn as a host city."
category: "Los Angeles"
category_url: https://herald.la/category/los-angeles
author: "Hana Nakamura"
published: 2026-07-10T22:52:00.000Z
updated: 2026-07-10T22:52:00.000Z
canonical: https://herald.la/article/spain-edges-belgium-on-a-late-merino-goal-at-sofi-to-reach-the-semifinals
tags: ["world-cup", "sofi-stadium", "spain", "belgium", "los-angeles", "soccer"]
---
# Spain edges Belgium on a late Merino goal at SoFi to reach the semifinals

Spain beat Belgium 2-1 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on Friday, with substitute Mikel Merino striking late again to send the tournament favorites into a World Cup semifinal against France. The quarterfinal was the marquee moment of Los Angeles' turn as a host city.

The World Cup delivered Los Angeles a classic on Friday, and Spain a place in the final four, decided in the closing minutes on the grass at SoFi Stadium.

## The finish

Spain beat Belgium 2-1, with Mikel Merino scoring late to break a deadlock and send the Spanish through to a semifinal against France, [ESPN reported](https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/49327290/spain-belgium-world-cup-quarterfinal-merino-semifinal-france). Merino, a substitute, pounced on a spilled save to score in the closing stages, a moment that sent the crowd in Inglewood into a roar and continued a remarkable habit: it was his second straight decisive goal off the bench in this tournament.

## How it unfolded

Spain, unbeaten and stingy all tournament, took the lead through Fabián Ruiz in the first half, [ESPN reported](https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/49327290/spain-belgium-world-cup-quarterfinal-merino-semifinal-france). Belgium answered before halftime through Charles De Ketelaere, a goal that ended a long scoreless streak for the Spanish defense and briefly swung the momentum. From there it became the kind of tense, end-to-end quarterfinal that the tournament's later rounds tend to produce, until Merino settled it.

## Belgium's blow

Belgium's afternoon was complicated by an injury to their captain and goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, who was forced off in the second half. Courtois said afterward that he felt something in his thigh while attempting a long clearance early in the second half, [Yahoo Sports reported](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/thibaut-courtois-reveals-cause-thigh-223051900.html). His replacement was on the field only briefly before Merino's decisive strike.

## The LA stage

For Southern California, the match was a showcase. SoFi Stadium, the centerpiece of the region's World Cup hosting, drew a packed, boisterous crowd for a genuine heavyweight knockout tie, the kind of global sporting occasion the venue was built to hold. Spain's teenage star Lamine Yamal and midfield conductor Pedri gave the neutrals plenty to admire, and the late drama gave everyone a finish to remember.

## What's next

Spain now advances to a semifinal against France, which reached the last four by beating Morocco. It sets up a clash between two of the sport's powers, with a place in the World Cup final at stake. For Los Angeles, the quarterfinal was a high point of a summer spent at the center of the soccer world, and a reminder of why the city fought to be part of it.