Spain 2-1 Belgium at Los Angeles Stadium. The numbers tell most of the story — 61% possession to Spain with 9% in contest, 17 attempts to Belgium’s 5, 8 on target to 2. Spain were the better side by a significant margin. But Belgium were not passengers. They came here with a plan, executed parts of it well, and for 40 minutes were level with one of the best teams in the world. The context behind the statistics matters.
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Belgium’s Pre-Match Crisis
Belgium’s tactical problems began before the opening whistle. Amadou Onana had already been ruled out with an ACL injury from the Round of 16. Then, during the warm-up, captain Youri Tielemans pulled up injured and could not start — a last-minute blow that forced Hans Vanaken into the lineup alongside Raskin in a makeshift double pivot.
On paper, the shape was still a 4-2-3-1. In practice, Belgium’s pivot was not working to its fullest extent. This was not Belgium at full tactical strength — and credit to them for staying competitive for as long as they did.
Spain’s Shape — Ruiz as the Surprise
Spain lined up in a 4-2-3-1 — a shift from the 4-1-2-3 they had used through much of the tournament. Rodri and Fabian Ruiz formed the double pivot, with Dani Olmo in the CAM role and Alex Baena on the left wing. Lamine Yamal on the right and Mikel Oyarzabal through the middle completed the attacking line.
Ruiz was the pre-match surprise and, as it turned out, one of the tactical calls that defined the result. His energy between the lines, his ability to press Belgium’s pivot, and his willingness to arrive late into the box created problems Belgium’s restructured midfield struggled to manage.
Spain’s Mid-Block — The Tactical Foundation
Rather than pressing Belgium high, Spain settled into a disciplined mid-block that cut off the space between Belgium’s pivot and their defensive line. The channel Raskin needed to function as the link between Belgium’s deeper play and their attack was consistently compressed.
Belgium had 30% possession — a number that reflects how effectively Spain controlled the ball and how limited Belgium were in building sustained attacking phases. But the possession number alone does not tell you that Belgium’s best moments came not from trying to match Spain in midfield, but from working entirely around the structure. Their goal came from exactly that — a wide overlap, a precise delivery into the box, a moment of quality that bypassed Spain’s mid-block rather than going through it.
Belgium’s Threat — What They Did Well
Belgium were not simply absorbing. They had a shape, they had a plan, and when they got space they used it well. Jeremy Doku was a consistent danger — driving at Spain’s left side repeatedly, creating fouls and half-chances through sheer directness. He was the one Belgian attacker who consistently found ways to be threatening despite Spain’s structure.
De Bruyne showed flashes of the quality that makes him exceptional. His pass to Castagne for the 41st-minute equaliser was threaded precisely into a tight window — a moment of intuition that no coaching plan creates, only individual brilliance. Castagne’s delivery from the right was equally good, and De Ketelaere’s near-post header finished it clinically. That sequence — one pass, one cross, one header — was Belgium at their best, and it showed exactly what they are capable of even when playing against a side with Spain’s defensive organisation.
Their five attempts and two shots on target in this one-sided match reflect a Belgium side that was limited, yes — but not toothless. They found moments. They just could not sustain them.
The Turning Point — Courtois and the Quadriceps Injury
Thibaut Courtois left the pitch in the 71st minute with a quadriceps muscle injury. His absence changed the match’s dynamic entirely. With the score at 1-1 and Spain pressing for a winner, Courtois had been the one Belgium player consistently keeping them in it — including a spectacular save from Yamal just after half-time that would have settled the match far earlier.
Backup goalkeeper Senne Lammens faced an immediate test. In the 88th minute, Pau Cubarsi’s long-range drive spilled from Lammens’s hands into the box. Mikel Merino, on the pitch for two minutes, lashed the loose ball home. Whether Courtois holds that shot cleanly is a question nobody can answer. What is certain is that the moment of spilled handling decided a tight, well-contested quarter-final.
Merino — The Bench That Keeps Delivering
Mikel Merino has now scored two goals from the bench in knockout matches at this FIFA World Cup 2026 — against Portugal in the Round of 16, and now this. Spain’s depth of impact substitutions has been one of their defining qualities throughout this tournament. Merino’s ability to arrive at exactly the right moment, in exactly the right position, is a very specific kind of match-intelligence.
Implications — Spain vs France, Dallas, July 15
Spain are in the semi-finals. Their opponent is France — the side that beat Morocco 2-0 in the opening quarter-final. Spain vs France in Dallas on July 15 at 12:30 AM IST is the match the neutral had been hoping for: two of the three or four best sides in this tournament, meeting with a place in the New York Stadium final at stake.
Spain go in with their clean sheet record broken — De Ketelaere’s 41st-minute equaliser ended the 649-minute run — but their structural discipline remains the most consistent in the competition. France bring Mbappe, Dembele, and a squad of rare depth. The question of Mbappe’s fitness from the Morocco quarter-final adds an intriguing variable to a match that needs none.
For Belgium, this exit is painful. Three key players lost to injury across two matches — Onana before the quarter-final, Tielemans in the warm-up, Courtois in the second half. Even a side of Belgium’s quality cannot absorb that across 90 minutes. They came here, competed, equalised against Spain’s best defensive record in the tournament, and were ultimately undone as much by circumstances as by tactics.
England vs Norway — FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-finals. July 12, 2:30 AM IST, live on ZEE 5. Watch every remaining match in India on ZEE 5.
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