Spain’s remarkable defense of FIFA World Cup finally came to an end, but it was not enough to prevent them from reaching the semifinals. Goalkeeper Unai Simón’s record 650-minute shutout streak was snapped by Belgium in Friday’s quarterfinal before Spain secured a 2-1 victory thanks to a late goal from Mikel Merino.Belgium became the first team to score against Spain at this World Cup when Charles De Ketelaere found the net in the 41st minute, ending Simón’s remarkable run without conceding a goal. Despite that setback, Spain kept their title hopes alive and will now face tournament favorites France in the semifinals on Tuesday.
Simon set a new World Cup record
Before Belgium’s goal, Simón had gone 650 minutes without a win at the World Cup, setting a new tournament record. His streak includes six consecutive clean sheets and surpasses the previous record of 517 minutes set by Italy goalkeeper Walter Zenga in the 1990 World Cup.The run began after Spain’s round-of-16 match against Morocco at the 2022 World Cup and continued into this year’s tournament, which included a goalless draw against Cape Verde and four consecutive wins without conceding.
Merino delivers again
Spain looked for extra time after Belgium canceled out Fabián Ruiz’s opener. Ruiz gave Spain the lead in the 30th minute, but De Ketelaere equalized 11 minutes later with a header from Timothy Castagne’s cross.The game was decided in the 88th minute when Merino, who had just come on as a substitute, reacted the fastest after Belgium goalkeeper Senne Lammens parried Pau Cubarsí’s powerful shot. The Arsenal midfielder scored his second touch of the game to send Spain into the last four.Merino was also Spain’s hero in the previous round, coming off the bench to score a stoppage-time winner in a 1-0 win over Portugal.
Belgium has suffered of late
Belgium were forced to make a goalkeeping change in the 71st minute after experienced goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois went off with an apparent leg injury. He was replaced by backup goalkeeper Senne Lammens but could not prevent Merino’s late victory.Belgium pushed hard for another equalizer in the closing minutes, but Aymeric Laporte saved their best chance as Spain held on for victory.The win extended Spain’s unbeaten run to 37 games, a streak that began in March 2023.