Merino does it again as Spain edge Belgium and book France semi-final

Madrid had reason to celebrate, and not just because football still occasionally offers a cleaner drama than politics. Spain beat Belgium 2-1 and moved into the World Cup semi-finals, with Mikel Merino once again deciding the match from the bench. The winning goal came in the 88th minute, when Belgium goalkeeper Senne Lammens failed to hold the ball and Merino pounced from close range.

It was the sort of ending coaches pretend to dislike and secretly adore. Belgium had dragged themselves back level after Spain’s earlier lead, briefly turning the contest into something more uncertain. Yet Spain kept pressing in the closing stages, and Merino provided the final touch that mattered, just as he had done against Portugal in the round of 16. Two knockout rounds, two late interventions: a tidy record for a substitute who seems to have developed a taste for other people’s nerves.

The victory sends Spain into the last four, where France await on Tuesday. That is the kind of fixture that usually attracts grand talk about tradition, momentum and destiny, though football has a habit of reducing all that to one loose ball in the box. For Spain, the route to the semi-final has been narrow but effective, and the team now carries the sort of momentum that only exists until the next whistle.

Belgium, for its part, left with the more familiar consolation prize: applause. In Brussels, supporters backed their team despite the defeat, and many accepted that the injury to their first-choice goalkeeper had altered the match. That may be true, but tournaments rarely reward excuses. They reward the side that stays alert in the final minute, and on this occasion that was Spain.

So Spain go on, Belgium go home, and Merino keeps doing the sort of work that turns squad players into minor legends. The semi-final against France now offers a bigger stage and a harder test. For the moment, though, Madrid can enjoy the simple fact that late goals still count for all the glory in the world.

Written by Christiane Hofreiter christiane.hofreiter@alpineweekly.com