The Spain World Cup 2026 campaign marched on as La Roja beat Belgium 2-1 on Friday, July 10, in the 2026 World Cup quarter-finals to advance to the semi-finals.
Fabian Ruiz and Mikel Merino scored for the Spaniards to help them win, but Unai Simón conceded his and Spain’s first goal in the tournament.
The Spain vs Belgium match pointed out La Roja’s versatility yet again. Alongside France, the Spaniards remain the most impressive team in the tournament. Spain had 68% ball possession and 18 shots at the opposition goal in the match to show their continued dominance.
Spain World Cup 2026 Team Allows Luis de la Fuente To Shuffle His Resources
Spain’s win in the Spain vs Belgium match once again showed that the Spaniards have more than one option in most positions to break a resolute low block, just as they did against Portugal.
The trio of Pedro Porro, Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo is extremely dangerous through the inside-right channel and the three players combined to score the first goal.
However, if Spain need something extra, they can always throw in Ferran Torres in place of Alex Baena, who can drift from the left flank to the penalty box.
They also have the speedy Nico Williams at their disposal as a left-winger, who is pretty similar to Lamine Yamal and can engage the opposition full-back repeatedly.
The Spaniards also have the industrious Fabian Ruiz, an adroit passer in Pedri and an opportunist in Mikel Merino in the midfield.
Dani Olmo plays in an advanced position and helps in the high-press, but also falls back repeatedly to link the midfield with the attack. Not to mention that he can play one-touch passes and combine with Porro and Yamal through the inside-right channel.
Merino makes those forays into the opposition penalty box, which gives Spain an extra presence in that area. Merino now has scored two match-winning goals after coming on as a substitute in the tournament.
Hence, playing off a low block by no means ensures safety for a team, because Spain can use Ferran Torres, Nico Williams and Mikel Merino not merely as substitutes, but also to change their playing style and thereby take the opposition defence by surprise.
Even Pau Cubarsi, Spain’s 19-year-old centre-back, has some rare ball-playing ability for a defender, and can be trusted to start moves himself.
It was his shot that led to Spain’s second goal in the Spain vs Belgium clash, as Merino scored the rebound from Senne Lammens’ parry away, as the Manchester United goalkeeper came on to replace an injured Thibaut Courtois.
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Spain World Cup 2026: Clash Of Titans In The Semi-Final As Spain Face France
The victory in the Spain vs Belgium match pits the Spaniards against the mighty French in what promises to be the best match of the tournament.
The French attack has scored 16 goals in six matches so far and will undoubtedly test the Spanish defence that has only let in a solitary goal in the tournament so far.
The French also have enviable bench-strength and can summon resources from it to change the course of play. However, they have not needed it much until now, and it remains to be seen whether that becomes the case in the semi-final.
The Spain World Cup 2026 campaign will face its most intense test in the semi-final next week. However, Luis de la Fuente will be confident of repeating his success from the 2024 European Championships by winning another major trophy with Spain.
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