EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsINGLEWOOD, Calif. -- Spain secured a semifinal showdown with France by defeating Belgium 2-1 in Friday's FIFA World Cup quarterfinal thanks to a late goal from super-sub Mikel Merino.The two sides exchanged goals in the first half, with surprise starter Fabin Ruiz slamming home a rebound in the 30th minute, but Charles De Ketelaere scored the equalizer off Timothy Castagne's cross in the 41st minute. Spain had the last word, though, as substitute goalkeeper Senne Lammens couldn't hold on to Pau Cubars's long-distance attempt, allowing Merino to net the winner two minutes from the end of normal time.Spain will now face France in a dream semifinal Tuesday, but La Roja could be forgiven for wanting to take a breath or two after being pushed to the limit by the Red Devils. -- Jeff CarlisleMerino saves Spain, but La Roja need more up frontSpain have scored 11 goals from 11.83 xG at this World Cup. When you consider that elite teams, especially possession-oriented ones with gifted players, generally significantly outperform xG, you're tempted to point to the old bugbear: poor finishing, because there is no genuine center forward.There's some truth to that in the sense that Mikel Oyarzabal is a recycled winger. And while he's a talented player who played a lot as a central striker this year, he's never been a prolific goal scorer form open play (he scored 18 this year, but half of those were penalties ... prior to that, he hadn't reached double figures in the previous four seasons).The guy who comes in for him, Ferran Torres, also spent most of his career further away from the opposition goal. And while he did play more up front this season at club level (spelling Robert Lewandowski), he's not the most clinical finisher either. In fact, this season marked the first time the 26-year-old scored more than 10 league goals in a single season in his career.All of this is by design. Manager Luis de la Fuente did call up a proper center forward -- big, strong Borja Iglesias -- but all he's gotten thus far as a single minute of action against Portugal. The fact of the matter is that De la Fuente feels he doesn't need a physical presence or a consummate goal-scoring forward, even when games are tight and winding toward extra-time and penalties.Create enough chances over time, tinker with your subs and, eventually, the goals will come. Better to have guys like Oyarzabal and Torres, whose movement creates chances for others, leading the line than an attacking terminus. He's been proven right thus far, although in the past two outings he's needed the goal-scoring voodoo off the bench of Merino, who is by no means a center forward but sometimes plays one on your TV.Spain know what's coming if they continue to create far more chances than they convert. Critics will bemoan the lack of a central striker, the absence of finishing and directness and the pass-pass-pass approach as a sign of arrogance and stubbornness. We know, because we've seen it before. But De la Fuente believes in doing things a certain way and, more importantly, Spain believe in him. -- Gabriele MarcottiTielemans, Courtois injuries too much for Belgium to overcomeBelgium were already thin in midfield given that Amadou Onana tore his ACL against the United States in the round of 16, but when Youri Tielemans had to be scratched from the starting lineup after injuring his groin during the warmup, the question was whether it would be one injury too many. Coming into the game, no player had covered more ground for Belgium this tournament than Tielemans (61.8 km).Every team suffers injuries at some stage, but when they all happen in the same part of the field, a point is reached where the ailments start cutting into muscle.To make matters worse, goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois had to come off in the 71st minute due to a muscle injury. This after delivering a pair of fine saves in the second half to deny Lamine Yamal and Oyarzabal. The visible tears he shed showed just how devastated he was to exit the match.It all proved to be too much for Belgium. Lammens should have done better with Cubars's drive, allowing Merino to pounce for the critical goal. It was a valiant effort from Belgium, but they'll be left wondering, "What if?" for years to come. -- CarlisleDe la Fuente has the buy-in to drop Pedri for Ruiz (plus it worked)Ruiz is an excellent footballer, a two-time UEFA Champions League winner. Pedri is arguably the best in the world in his position, a mainstay at Barcelona and for the Spanish national team. He had started each of Spain's five games at this World Cup and kept the side ticking over in midfield.But De la Fuente evidently isn't afraid to make bold choices. Even ones that appear counterintuitive (yes, Ruiz had replaced Pedri in each of the past four games, but always in the second half).De la Fuente had the agency to make such a decision for a number of reasons, starting with the fact that he delivered a major trophy, the Euros, just two years ago. But also, as a long-time member of the Spanish federation and youth coach, he's known these guys for a very long time; they have his trust and he has theirs.Just as important, Spain -- and specifically De la Fuente -- have fostered a team ethic in this World Cup that is as much a defining characteristic as their possession game. The collective always comes ahead of the individual under this coach, and he gets away with it because he has total buy-in.Contrast this with France's stellar front four or England's dynamic duo of Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane or Argentina with you-know-who. Add in the fact that Pedri isn't known for his ego and it's not a surprise that De la Fuente feels empowered to leave out (arguably) his best player.Critics might suggest it comes at the expense of someone like Yamal (Spain's cover boy) not dominating like he does with Barcelona. Maybe they have a point. We're certainly seeing a more functional Yamal here, but certainly not a less important one.As for the choice of Ruiz, he ended up scrambling home the opener, vindicating De la Fuente's decision. -- MarcottiDe Ketelaere reminds of his quality at this World CupDe Ketelaere didn't exactly have a banner season for Atalanta. He scored just three goals across the entire Serie A season. Prior to the World Cup, his last goal came on Jan. 10 in a 2-1 win over Torino.But the 25-year-old former Club Brugge prodigy has found a different level at this World Cup, even if it ended in disappointment of a quarterfinal exit. After scoring twice in Belgium's 4-1 demolition of the U.S. in the round of 16, the Red Devils forward found the net again, outmuscling Cubars in the 41st minute to nod home Castagne's cross.It was the first goal Spain had conceded in the entire tournament.That is by no means the only way De Ketelaere has contributed to Belgium's cause either. He's often found himself battling opposition backlines by himself, at least until Romelu Lukaku enters the match as an impact substitute, but De Ketelaere has provided a valuable physical presence for the Red Devils. On this day, he won an impressive 71.4% of his aerial battles.World Cups can change a player's career. Even in a losing effort, De Ketelaere has put himself in position to benefit massively from this tournament. -- Carlisle
