Spain Survive Belgium Test to Set Up Blockbuster Mbappe Showdown

Spain secured their place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 semifinals after edging Belgium 2-1 in a tense quarterfinal, setting up one of the tournament's most anticipated encounters against Kylian Mbappe's France. Fabian Ruiz and Mikel Merino scored for La Roja, while Belgium's Charles De Ketelaere briefly restored parity in a contest that also saw Thibaut Courtois leave the field with an injury. The result keeps Spain's remarkable unbeaten run alive and paves the way for a heavyweight semifinal.

Spain overcome Belgium in dramatic quarterfinal

Spain made an early statement through Fabian Ruiz, who was handed a surprise start ahead of Pedri. Ruiz capitalised after Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois could only parry Dani Olmo's effort into his path, giving Spain the lead.

Lamine Yamal once again showcased his growing influence, producing a lively performance that earned him the Player of the Match award as Spain continued to create opportunities.

Belgium, however, responded just before halftime. Kevin De Bruyne released Timothy Castagne down the right flank, and the defender's perfectly delivered cross found Charles De Ketelaere, who timed his run to perfection before heading home the equaliser.

The goal carried additional significance as it ended Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon's extraordinary streak of 560 consecutive World Cup minutes without conceding a goal. In doing so, Simon surpassed the previous tournament record of 517 minutes set by Italy's Walter Zenga during the 1990 FIFA World Cup.

The decisive moment arrived in the 71st minute when Courtois was forced off with an apparent injury and replaced by Senne Lammens. Moments later, Lammens failed to hold Pau Cubarsi's long-range strike, allowing substitute Mikel Merino to react quickest and convert the rebound for the winning goal.

Spain's unbeaten streak reaches historic milestone

The victory extended Spain's unbeaten run to 36 matches since their defeat to Colombia, matching Argentina's unbeaten streak between 2019 and 2022. La Roja are now just one match away from equalling Italy's world-record 37-game unbeaten run.

With momentum on their side, Spain remain firmly in contention for another FIFA World Cup title as they prepare for their biggest challenge yet.

France and Mbappe await in blockbuster semifinal

Spain's reward is a mouth-watering semifinal against France, who defeated Morocco 2-0 to book their place in the last four.

France captain Kylian Mbappe continued his sensational FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign by scoring once again, adding another chapter to his remarkable tournament legacy.

The French superstar became the youngest player to reach 20 FIFA World Cup appearances and the fastest player to score 20 World Cup goals across the 2018, 2022 and 2026 editions. His eighth goal of the ongoing tournament also brought him level with Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race.

Mbappe also set a new record for the most match-winning goals in FIFA World Cup history with eight and became the first French player to be directly involved in 100 international goals, amassing 64 goals and 36 assists for Les Bleus.

With Spain chasing history and Mbappe producing record-breaking performances, the semifinal promises to be one of the standout matches of FIFA World Cup 2026.

(With inputs from ANI)