Mikel Merino had been on the pitch for just one minute and 56 seconds before heading the winner against Belgium, sending Spain into the World Cup semi-finals for the first time since 2010. The midfielder's 88th-minute goal sealed a 2-1 victory in Los Angeles, following his 90+1-minute winner against Portugal in the round of 16.
Merino's clutch performances
Merino has now scored three goals for Spain at major tournaments—one at Euro 2024 and two at this World Cup—all as a substitute, all winners that advanced Spain. Each celebration saw him circle the corner flag in honor of his father, Ángel, who did the same after scoring for Osasuna at Stuttgart 35 years ago. His father was in Dallas for the Portugal match, wearing lucky socks with an image of Merino's Euro 2024 header, but his two-month-old son Marco was not, prompting Merino to repeat the feat.
"I don't know how I'll explain it to him," Merino said. "Luckily there's YouTube and internet and I'll be able to show it to him because it will be hard to do with words. Since they weren't there in the round of 16 I had to repeat it so they could live it in person."
De la Fuente's calm leadership
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente praised Merino's versatility and calmness. "Mikel is super complete, very versatile. He's played as a 6, an 8, a 10 and a 9, and he does all of those things so well," De la Fuente said. "He has exceptional understanding, a feeling for what the team needs and a calmness."
De la Fuente's decision-making proved pivotal. Replacing Pedro with Fabián Ruiz paid off when Ruiz scored the opener. Substituting Dani Olmo for Merino raised eyebrows, but Merino delivered the winner. The coach cited Marcus Aurelius's Meditations as inspiration and emphasized his faith in the squad.
Breaking the quarter-final barrier
Spain had not won a World Cup knockout game since their 2010 triumph, falling in the quarter-finals in 1986, 1994, and 2002. Against Belgium, they dominated with 68% possession and three times as many shots, but the match remained 1-1 until Merino's intervention. "I look behind me and I see Mikel Merino and I think: 'I'm calm as can be,'" De la Fuente said.
Spain now face France in the semi-finals. Lamine Yamal declared, "We're not afraid of France," while De la Fuente added, "It's legitimate to think we can beat France; they'll be as worried as we are."
