Spain advances to World Cup semifinals with late goal; Belgium's Courtois injured; Colombia midfielder faces death threats
Consensus Summary
Spain secured a dramatic 1-0 victory over Belgium in the World Cup quarterfinals, advancing to the semifinals with a late goal by Mikel Merino, who came on as a substitute in the 86th minute. The win ended Spain’s goalkeeper Unai Simón’s record 650-minute clean sheet streak, which began in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Belgium scored their first goal of the tournament in the 41st minute, ending Spain’s six consecutive clean sheets. Spain will now face France in the semifinals next week in Dallas. Meanwhile, Colombia’s midfielder Jaminton Campaz faced death threats after missing a critical scoring opportunity in a penalty shootout loss to Switzerland, echoing a dark chapter in Colombian soccer history from the 1994 World Cup. Portugal’s coach Jorge Jesus, a 71-year-old, emphasized age is not a barrier, referencing his work with Cristiano Ronaldo, a 41-year-old five-time Ballon d’Or winner. The Guardian noted Belgium’s goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was injured and substituted, while Spain’s Lamine Yamal and Fabian Ruiz played key roles in the victory.
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Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Spain defeated Belgium 1-0 in a match where Mikel Merino scored the winning goal in the 86th minute (ABC) or 87.28 (Guardian) after coming on as a substitute in the 85.32nd minute (Guardian) or 86th minute (ABC).
- Spain’s goalkeeper Unai Simón held a record 650 consecutive scoreless minutes before Belgium scored in the 41st minute, ending the streak.
- Spain will face France in the World Cup semifinals next week (Guardian) or on Tuesday in the Dallas area (ABC).
- Spain’s clean sheet streak began in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where they had six consecutive clean sheets before Belgium scored in the 41st minute of this match.
- Belgium scored their first goal of the World Cup in the 41st minute, ending Spain’s tournament record of six consecutive clean sheets.
- Mikel Merino has been a clutch player for Spain, scoring late goals in multiple matches, including the 2022 World Cup and the 2026 tournament.
- Portugal’s 71-year-old coach Jorge Jesus has stated age doesn’t matter and has worked with Cristiano Ronaldo, a 41-year-old five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
- Colombia’s midfielder Jaminton Campaz received death threats after missing a critical scoring opportunity in a penalty shootout loss to Switzerland in the round of 16.
- The 1994 World Cup in the United States saw defender Andrés Escobar score an own-goal, leading to his murder in Colombia.
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Spain’s clean sheet streak of 517 consecutive scoreless minutes was broken by Unai Simón during a 3-0 win over Austria, surpassing Walter Zenga’s 1990 record of five consecutive clean sheets.
- Spain’s streak began with a 0-0 draw against Morocco in the 2022 World Cup, advancing after a penalty shootout.
- Spain had a scoreless draw against Cabo Verde in group play this year, followed by four consecutive victories to advance to the quarterfinals.
- Norway’s fans are using the 'Viking Row' chant to inspire their team ahead of the quarterfinal against England in Miami on Sunday.
- Cristiano Ronaldo scored three goals in the 2026 World Cup but faced criticism from fans.
- Portugal’s coach Jorge Jesus said Ronaldo is a symbol of Portugal and will go down in history.
- Spain’s Fabian Ruiz scored the opening goal on the 30th minute after a combination with Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo.
- Belgium’s Thibaut Courtois was injured in the 40 minutes and 12 seconds mark and had to be substituted, holding his thigh in tears.
- Belgium’s Youri Tielemans was also substituted early in the match.
- Spain dominated the second half, with Lamine Yamal creating multiple chances before Merino’s winning goal.
- The match took place in Los Angeles, with the semifinal against France scheduled for next week in Dallas.
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- The Guardian states Mikel Merino came on as a substitute at 85.32 and scored at 87.28, while ABC states he came on in the 86th minute and scored on his second touch in the 86th minute.
- The Guardian mentions Spain’s first goal was scored on the 30th minute, while ABC does not specify the exact minute of the first goal but notes Spain won 1-0.
- The Guardian describes Belgium’s goal as scored at 40 minutes and 12 seconds, while ABC states it was in the 41st minute.
Source Articles
Quick hits: Spain's new clutch king and a Colombian death threat scare
Spain's new clutch king saves the day, a record-breaking streak is finally broken and a Colombian midfielder receives death threats. Here are today's World Cup quick hits.
Merino puts Spain into World Cup semi-finals as Belgium rue costly Courtois injury
Mikel Merino’s amazing moment arrived once more, a country circling the corner flag with him. The man who came on to scored the late, late goals that took Spain into a European championship semi final two years ago and a World Cup quarter final four days ago, only went and did it again. This is some hat-trick, history made here. Introduced as sub on 85.32 with Spain struggling to find a way through against Belgium, Merino was the man most alert in the whole of Los Angeles, pouncing on a loose ba