Spain secured a place in the FIFA World Cup semi-finals after a hard-fought 2–1 victory over Belgium in their quarter-final encounter.

Fabián Ruiz opened the scoring for Spain in the 30th minute, but Belgium responded before the break as Charles De Ketelaere equalised to leave the contest level at halftime.

With the match heading towards extra time, substitute Mikel Merino emerged as Spain’s hero, scoring a dramatic winner in the 88th minute to send La Roja into the last four.

The victory keeps Spain’s World Cup title hopes alive and sets up a highly anticipated semi-final showdown with France. Belgium, meanwhile, exit the tournament after a determined performance in the quarter-finals. Visit www.jocomms.com for more news.