Spain and Belgium will face off in World Cup quarterfinal. The winner gets to face mighty France
Spain defeated Belgium in a soccer match to advance to the World Cup semifinals, where they will face France. The match was characterized by a late goal from Mikel Merino following a mistake by the Belgian goalkeeper.
Why it matters
The result shapes the bracket for the World Cup, marking the end of Belgium's 'Golden Generation' era.
Link Copied! Spain – and its fans – suffered to the semifinal. That's a good thing. Analysis by Patrick Sung Cuadrado Mikel Merino made every Spain fan a very happy camper for the second game in a row. Jessie Alcheh/Imagn Images/Reuters There’s a very common expression in soccer, at least in Spain: Hay que saber sufrir – “You have to know how to suffer.” Well, tonight, I have suffered.
A slight insight into this game and my wild abandonment of reason whenever my teams play: When Thibaut Courtois went off in the 71st minute, instead of thinking, “Hey, the other team’s best player went off, we have a better chance of winning,” I thought, “Well, the soccer gods deem us unworthy of victory tonight.”
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