Mikel Merino strikes late again to tee up huge last-four clash with France

Mikel Merino comes off the bench to break Belgian hearts after slip from sub keeper Senne Lammens.

Mikel Merino scored in the ۸۸th minute from a rebound yielded by backup Belgium goalkeeper Senne Lammens, and Spain advanced to the World Cup semifinals with a ۲-۱ victory.

Merino was the late hero for the second straight match for Spain, who advanced to face tournament favourite France in the semifinals on Tuesday in Dallas.

Merino came on in the ۸۶th minute and scored from his second touch of the match, charging into the box and pouncing after Lammens spilled a Pau Cubarsi shot from outside the area.

The Arsenal forward also scored as a substitute early in injury time to secure Spain’s ۱-۰ victory over Portugal in the last-۱۶.

Lammens, the Manchester United keeper, was forced into the match in the ۷۱st minute after longtime Belgium keeper Thibaut Courtois left with an apparent thigh injury.

Belgium desperately pressed for an equaliser in the final minutes, but Aymeric Laporte volleyed their best chance out of the box.

Fabian Ruiz scored the opening goal in the ۳۰th minute for Spain after Courtois had parried a shot from Dani Olmo from Pedro Porro’s cut-back from the right of the area, but Belgium forward Charles De Ketelaere scored the first goal allowed by Spain in the entire World Cup in the ۴۱st minute.

His header from Timothy Castagne’s cross from the right ended a record streak of ۶۴۹ minutes without conceding at the World Cup.