After sending Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal home, Spain will face Belgium in a clash of European giants in the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup on Friday night. Spain have not conceded a single goal in this year’s World Cup and have not scored a single goal. Since March 2023, La Rosa is unbeaten in 36 consecutive competitive matches.
Spain vs Belgium Football Live Score
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This high standard of play clearly does not faze Belgium, who are on their way to the World Cup quarter-finals of the teams. Spain have been Europe’s most consistent winners for the past 3 1/2 years, while Belgium have positioned themselves for what could be the final chance for their golden generation to do something spectacular together.
The encounter at the SoFi Stadium pits pre-tournament favorites and reigning European champions against Belgium, who have never reached their full potential despite having big-money stars on their roster. The winner will face France in the semifinals on Tuesday in the Dallas area.
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Mikel Merino’s invisible intervention pushed Portugal out of the World Cup
Mikel Merino celebrates his goal during Spain vs Portugal. (AP)
Out of the shadows came Mikel Merino. He was not where he was. Yet here he was. The Portuguese defenders, who were tired and turned around in the half space, did not make the mark. Latching onto Ferran Torres’ eye-popping pass and flicking the ball past an unsuspecting Diogo Costa.
Merino is rarely a hero before the game, with little newspaper spending on his utilitarian ties to influencing the game. But not for the first time, he made the difference for his team, the difference between full overtime and a potential tiebreaker. The difference between Cristiano Ronaldo living another day and saying goodbye to a tournament that rarely happens.