INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Spain secured a semifinal showdown with France by defeating Belgium 2-1 in Friday’s FIFA World Cup quarterfinal thanks to a late goal from super-sub Mikel Merino.
World Cup 2026
The two sides exchanged goals in the first half, with surprise starter Fabián Ruiz slamming home a rebound in the 30th minute, but Charles De Ketelaere scored the equalizer off Timothy Castagne’s cross in the 41st minute. Spain had the last word, though, as substitute goalkeeper Senne Lammens couldn’t hold on to Pau Cubarsí’s long-distance attempt, allowing Merino to net the winner two minutes from the end of normal time.
Spain will now face France in a dream semifinal Tuesday, but La Roja could be forgiven for wanting to take a breath or two after being pushed to the limit by the Red Devils. — Jeff Carlisle
Merino saves Spain, but La Roja need more up front
Match Details
Spain have scored 11 goals from 11.83 xG at this World Cup. When you consider that elite teams, especially possession-oriented ones with gifted players, generally significantly outperform xG, you’re tempted to point to the old bugbear: poor finishing, because there is no genuine center forward.
There’s some truth to that because Mikel Oyarzabal is a recycled winger. And though he’s a talented player who played a lot as a central striker this year, he has never been a prolific goal scorer during open play (he scored 18 this year, but half of those were penalties … before that, he hadn’t reached double figures in the previous four seasons).
The guy who comes in for him, Ferran Torres, also spent most of his career farther away from the opposition goal. And though he played more up front this season at club level (spelling Robert Lewandowski), he’s not the most clinical finisher either. In fact, this season marked the first time the 26-year-old scored more than 10 league goals in a season in his career.
Tournament Impact
All of this is by design. Spain manager Luis de la Fuente called up a proper center forward — big, strong Borja Iglesias — but all he has gotten thus far is a single minute of action against Portugal. De la Fuente feels he doesn’t need a physical presence or a consummate goal-scoring forward, even when games are tight and winding toward extra time and penalties.
Create enough chances over time, tinker with your subs and, eventually, the goals will come. Better to have guys such as Oyarzabal and Torres, whose movement creates chances for others, leading the line than an attacking terminus. He has been proven right thus far, although in the past two outings, he has needed the goal-scoring talent off the bench of Merino, who is by no means a center forward but sometimes plays one on TV.
Spain know what’s coming if they continue to create far more chances than they convert. Critics will bemoan the lack of a central striker, the absence of finishing and directness and the pass-pass-pass approach as a sign of arrogance and stubbornness. We know, because we’ve seen it before. But De la Fuente believes in doing things a certain way and, more importantly, Spain believe in him. — Gabriele Marcotti
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