Mikel Merino fires Spain into semifinal clash with France

Mikel Merino struck two minutes after coming off the bench to send Spain past Belgium 2-1 and into a World Cup semifinal against France. The late finish in the 86th minute carried Spain into the last four for only the second time in its history and reinforced the sense that Luis de la Fuente’s bench may be every bit as important as his starting XI. Merino said Spain arrives for France with “mucha hambre y muchas ganas.”

The goal also sharpened the case for Merino as Spain’s late-game difference-maker. De la Fuente turned to him again in the decisive phase of the knockout round, and Merino answered with another strike that settled a tight match against Belgium. It was the kind of intervention Spain had already seen from him in the previous round, when he again shifted the course of a game from the bench.

Spain’s progression came with goals from Fabián Ruiz and Merino, a combination that carried the Selección española through a difficult quarterfinal against the Selección de Bélgica. Merino, a midfielder whose influence has grown in the tournament’s tightest moments, said he still could not quite believe he had scored again immediately after entering the field. He also said he was proud to give so many people reason to celebrate.

France now stands between Spain and a place in the final, and the matchup brings the heaviest weight of reputation Spain has faced in this phase of the competition. The semifinal will test more than Spain’s star power. It will test the depth that has already decided matches, with Merino again proving that Spain can find decisive goals without waiting for the starting XI to do all the work.

For Spain, that is no small shift. A team that has reached a World Cup semifinal only twice now heads into a clash with France carrying momentum, belief and a substitute who has already turned pressure into results.