INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The script almost wrote itself.
Spain manager Luis de la Fuente’s decisions to leave Pedri out of the starting lineup and insert Mikel Merino as a late substitute might have raised eyebrows at the time, but they turned out to be masterstrokes of genius in the World Cup quarterfinal between Spain and Belgium on Friday.
Pedri had started every match of Spain’s march through the tournament and had become one of the pillars of the midfield. In his place came Fabián Ruiz, who had only started Spain’s opener against Cape Verde.
Ruiz scored the opening goal, and Merino delivered the winner, as Spain survived a spirited Belgian challenge for a 2-1 victory before another packed crowd in Los Angeles, booking a blockbuster semifinal against France in Dallas.
The sensational match also brought the curtain down on Los Angeles’ role in the tournament.
Friday’s quarterfinal was the eighth and final World Cup match played at SoFi Stadium, ending a memorable month in Southern California before the tournament shifts to Dallas and Atlanta for the semifinals and concludes at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Spain had barely settled into its rhythm when its tactical gamble paid immediate dividends.
Dani Olmo danced into the penalty area and forced Thibaut Courtois into a sharp save. The rebound, however, bounced kindly to Ruiz, who calmly guided the loose ball into an open net to give Spain a deserved early advantage.
The goal validated de la Fuente’s biggest decision before the halftime whistle had even arrived.
But Belgium refused to blink.
Ten minutes later, Timothy Castagne whipped a dangerous cross into the area where Charles De Ketelaere rose above Spain’s defense and powered a header beyond Unai Simón.
The finish carried added significance. Spain had entered the quarterfinal having not conceded a single goal during its previous five matches.
De Ketelaere’s third goal of the tournament finally cracked the tournament’s stingiest defense, ending one of the most impressive defensive runs of the World Cup.
It also confirmed Belgium had arrived with far more belief than many expected.
The Red Devils looked nothing like the team that stumbled through scoreless frustration against Egypt and Iran during the group stage. Instead, they resembled the confident side that mounted a remarkable comeback against Senegal before dismantling the United States 4-1 in Seattle earlier in the knockout rounds.
That victory over the Americans, combined with the emotional whirlwind surrounding FIFA’s decision to suspend Folarin Balogun’s red-card suspension before the Round of 16, had only fueled Belgium’s confidence.
With Kevin De Bruyne returning to the starting lineup and wearing the captain’s armband after Youri Tielemans suffered an injury during pregame warmups, Belgium looked organized, dangerous and completely unafraid of tournament favorite Spain.
Then the match changed in one painful moment.
Courtois, widely regarded as one of the world’s premier goalkeepers, went down with an injury in the 70th minute and could not continue. Backup goalkeeper Senne Lammens entered under enormous pressure, and while the Manchester United keeper handled several difficult moments, the decisive mistake came off his own hands.
Literally.
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De la Fuente reached into his bench again in the 86th minute, replacing Olmo with Merino. Two minutes later, as Spain kept pressing, his second masterstroke arrived.
Young defender Pau Cubarsí unleashed a driven effort from outside the penalty area that Lammens failed to secure cleanly. The ball spilled directly into Merino’s path, and the substitute never hesitated, striking the rebound into the net in the 88th minute to send the Spanish supporters into celebration.
It was a ruthless finish built on persistence, quick reaction time and another rebound Spain refused to waste. Remarkably, both Spanish goals came from second chances after saves by Belgian goalkeepers.
For de la Fuente, every significant decision landed perfectly.
Ruiz rewarded his unexpected promotion with the tournament’s biggest goal of his World Cup. Merino needed only two minutes on the pitch to become Spain’s unlikely hero. The sellout crowd of 70,492 celebrated as Spain punched its ticket to the final four.
Now comes the showdown nearly everyone has been anticipating.
Spain, the reigning European champions and perhaps the tournament’s most complete side, will meet Kylian Mbappé and France, the 2018 World Cup champions and 2022 runners-up, in a semifinal worthy of a final.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
