Mikel Merino Saved Spain with 88th Minute Goal

Mikel Merino once again proved to be Spain's savior from the bench, scoring in the 88th minute to lead the team to a 2-1 victory over Belgium in the World Cup quarterfinal. Spain will face France on Tuesday in Arlington, Texas in a semifinal match on July 19 to advance to the final. France is pursuing a third consecutive World Cup final appearance; the team won the championship in 2018 and lost to Argentina on penalties four years later. Merino, who scored the winning goal in stoppage time just minutes after entering the field in the Round of 16 match against Portugal, came on in the 86th minute this time and converted a rebound into a goal two minutes later.

• Sene Lammens, Belgium's backup goalkeeper, failed to stop Pau Cubarsí's not-particularly-powerful shot, and Merino capitalized on the opportunity.
• Lammens entered the field in the 71st minute replacing Thibaut Courtois; Courtois was unable to continue playing after four saves due to an apparent foot injury.. EPA