Arsenal midfielder, Mikel Merino once again came off the bench to win the game for Spain as the European Champions beat Belgium 2-1 on Friday night and progress to the semi-finals of this year’s World Cup tournament.
Unsurprisingly, La Roja dominated possession from the first whistle in Los Angeles and, after plenty of patient probing, they took a deserved lead when Fabian Ruiz fired home from close range, after Thibaut Courtois had failed to parry a Dani Olmo shot to safety.
However, Belgian became the first side to score against Spain at this summer’s World Cup when Charles De Ketelaere did brilliantly to head home a delightful ball into the six-yard box from Timothy Castagne.
The Red Devils grew in confidence the longer the game wore on but Spain never stopped pushing forward in search of a winner – and 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 ball on 87.28 to send Spain to the semi-final against France next week.
As he set off on that now familiar celebration in honour of his father, poor Thibaut Courtois the man who might have prevented this could only watch from the bench. Senne Lammers, who had dropped Pau Cubarsi’s shot at his feet could only do the same.
On their part, the Spanish team went mad. They had done it. It had started with a big decision vindicated and it had ended with one too; it had ended with them heading to Dallas once more.
Luis de la Fuente had taken the big decision to replace Pedri with Fabian Ruiz and it turned out to be another decision vindicated. The PSG midfielder set up the first real opportunity, pulling back for Rodri on ten minutes, and he scored the opening goal on half an hour too.
It had started deep, Pedro Porro and Lamine Yamal combining to open up Belgium. A neat ball from Lamine Yamal, all smooth timing and perfect weighting, set Porro dashing into the area where he pull back for Dani Olmo. Olmo’s shot, swept first time, was pushed away by Thibaut Courtois but Ruiz was there to score from the rebound.
