Spain defeated Belgium 2-1 and will face a titanic clash with France in the semifinals

As a title contender, Spain did what it had to do against Belgium. In a match where they dominated for most of the time, but which also had its moments of uncertainty, La Roja defeated the Red Devils 2-1 with a last-minute goal and will now play the semifinals against France.

The match started off very calmly, with a Spanish team that would control the ball but was not dangerous with it, and a Belgian team focused on counter-attacking. In that context, there would be no notable actions until the 29th minute, when, in their first real risky play, La Roja would score 1-0: Dani Olmo would receive a pass from Perro Porro in the area and without hesitation would shoot directly at the goal, and although Thibaut Courtois would save it, his rebound would fall to Fabián Ruíz, who would put his team ahead on the scoreboard.

Despite gathering several promising opportunities to extend the lead after the goal, such as a free kick shot by Lamine Yamal at 34 saved by Courtois and another attempt by the same No. 19 that would hit the part of the net that doesn't count shortly after, it would be "Les Diables Rouges" who would score the next goal of the match. At 40, after a great sequence of passes, a cross from Timothy Castagne would find the head of Charles De Ketelaere who would win the position against Pau Cubarsí and beat Unai Simón to make it 1-1.

In the second half, the tone of the match would change, but with two key differences. The first would be a Belgium that was a bit more proactive, but lacking in finishing in the final meters, while the second would be a Spain that was a bit clearer up front, which would generate more interventions from Courtois, who would save his team on several occasions. Unfortunately for the Belgians, due to this extra physical demand, their goalkeeper would have to be replaced during the second cooling break, with Senne Lammens coming in.

This goalkeeper change would ignite something in Luis de la Fuente's team, who would begin to besiege their opponent's area until the inevitable 2-1 would fall. At 88, Cubarsí would try from afar with a powerful right-footed shot and, although Lammens would save it, he would leave a huge rebound that would be capitalized on by the substitute Mikel Merino to put his team back in the lead.

In the final moments, Belgium would go all out to equalize and send the match to extra time, but there would be no time for more.

With this result, Spain advanced to the semifinals, where they will face France next Tuesday, July 14 at 16:00 (Argentina time) at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas.