Spain's Super-Sub Does It Again, Belgium's Backup Goalie Gifts Him the World Cup

The Most Reluctant Hero in World Soccer

Here is what happened, in plain terms, so you can appreciate how absurd it is. Spain and Belgium were tied 1-1 in the 86th minute at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on Friday. Belgium's starting goalkeeper, Real Madrid's Thibaut Courtois, had broken down crying on the sideline after going down injured in the second half. His replacement, Manchester United's Senne Lammens, had barely touched the ball.

Then Pau Cubarsí launched a long shot that Lammens should have caught. He didn't. The ball spilled directly into the path of Mikel Merino, who had been on the pitch for roughly 90 seconds. Merino booted it home. Spain 2, Belgium 1. Match over.

As the Associated Press reported, Merino's first World Cup goal came four days earlier, when he came off the bench in injury time against Portugal and scored the winner. Now he has two World Cup goals, both of them dramatic, both of them as a substitute, and he is either the luckiest man in football or something has gone seriously wrong with the laws of probability. According to Merino himself: 'I've done this again, and it's happened to me again, so it would seem that coincidence exists.'

What Actually Happened in the Match

Spain controlled most of the first half, with Fabián Ruiz scoring a rebound goal in the 30th minute to give La Roja the lead. Belgium, to their considerable credit, didn't fold. Charles De Ketelaere, the Atalanta forward who had already torched the host United States for two goals earlier in the tournament, muscled past Cubarsí and headed home a cross from Timothy Castagne in the 41st minute to level things.

That goal ended something remarkable. NPR reports that Spain goalkeeper Unai Simón had gone a World Cup record 650 minutes without conceding, dating back to the tournament in Qatar. Five games into this World Cup without a single goal allowed. De Ketelaere ended that streak and suddenly Belgium had a game on their hands.

For most of the second half, that's exactly what they had. Spain pressed, Belgium defended, and Courtois made four saves before his injury forced the substitution that changed everything. Belgium substitute Romelu Lukaku threw himself at an equalizer in the final minutes. Defender Aymeric Laporte acrobatically volleyed away Belgium's best chance in injury time. And then Lammens dropped the ball, Merino pounced, and it was over.

Belgium Had Every Right to Be Furious

Look, Belgium coach Rudi Garcia was gracious about it. 'We were on equal footing with Spain,' he said after the match, 'and we have nothing to feel bad about.' He's right. His team came into this quarterfinal missing captain Youri Tielemans, who got injured during the pregame warmup, and defender Amadou Onana, who was already sidelined. Then they lost Courtois in the second half, a player who has started 21 World Cup matches, more than any goalkeeper in history except Germany's Manuel Neuer.

Defender Brandon Mechele put it simply: 'We knew how we could hurt them, and I think we did this today. It's a pity that it ended like this, but I think we can be proud of the tournament we played.' Belgium came in unbeaten in 18 straight matches. That streak is over. So is their World Cup.

Spain vs. France: The Match Everyone Wanted

The semifinal on Tuesday in Arlington, Texas, is the matchup that practically wrote itself the moment the draw came out. Spain has not lost a competitive match in 37 straight games, a streak running back to March 2023. France defeated Morocco 2-0 in their quarterfinal and hasn't dropped a game at this tournament either. Two of the best teams in the world, neither of them having lost a single match in this World Cup, meeting in the semifinal of the biggest sporting event on the planet.

Spain coach Luis De La Fuente was not pretending humility. 'It will be a clash of giants,' he said through a translator. 'We are capable of winning this game, and not just now, but I would have said this a few weeks ago as well.' For Spain, it's their first semifinal since they won the whole thing in 2010. The weight of that matters. So does the hunger.

Merino summed it up with a quote that should go on a poster somewhere: 'This is one of those games that you dream of when you're a kid, and now we have the chance to compete against a massive rival.' He also said he hopes to keep scoring winners off goalkeeping mistakes. His words. More or less.

Arsenal's Swiss Army Knife Has a Second Job Now

Part of what makes Merino's story genuinely good is that he's not some flash-in-the-pan kid. He's a 28-year-old midfielder who plays for Arsenal, described by the AP as 'multi-positional' and a 'versatile contributor in any role he can get.' He's a depth player for his club. He came to this World Cup as a squad piece, not a star.

And now he has two of the most consequential goals in Spain's knockout run, both of them struck within seconds of entering the field, both of them in moments where Spain desperately needed something. 'Honestly, it's crazy to be able to help the team once again,' he said. 'I prepare for when the moment comes, and hopefully they keep coming.'

If he scores the winner in the semifinal against France, someone is going to have to write a book about this man. It may already be too late to stop that from happening.