Mikel Merino did it again. The Arsenal midfielder stepped off the bench for the second successive game to score the decisive goal, securing a 2-1 victory against Belgium that sent Spain into the World Cup semi-finals for only the second time since 2010, when they went on to lift the trophy.
Merino, 30, pounced on a mistake by Belgium goalkeeper Lammens to score the late winner, repeating his stoppage-time heroics against Portugal in the last 16. His latest intervention sets up a mouthwatering semi-final meeting with France and a showdown between Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal — though Yamal, by contrast, is yet to make his mark at this tournament.
“Mikel Merino scores late winner as Spain beat Belgium 2-1 to reach World Cup semi-finals, setting up France clash.”
Just being part of Spain's World Cup squad was something Merino could not envisage a few months ago. In January he suffered an unusual foot injury, a stress fracture in an area even specialists had not seen before. It ruled him out of action for Arsenal and left his World Cup hopes in huge doubt; he did not return for the Gunners until a month before the tournament began. Not only did Merino recover and earn his place, but he is proving an invaluable player in Spain's run to the last four.
"Mikel is incredible," Spain boss Luis de la Fuente said after the quarter-final win. "He has many qualities. He is a player that across the whole World Cup could have played in whatever team and done great. For us he is the standard of this idea, of this model. It is a pleasure to have him, and others but especially him. We know that without fail he is always there."
Merino himself feared he would not be fit enough to play. "The fact of being here a few months ago was unthinkable," he said after the Portugal win. "Now I am, as I said before, at the highest point, enjoying one of the happiest moments of my career. Now I remember all those bad moments, all the people who have supported me, all the people who have pushed me when even I sometimes found it difficult to believe I could be here."
Spain's win means the European champions are into the last four for the first time since their 2010 triumph. For Belgium, the wait for a first World Cup title goes on. For Merino, the dream continues — and for Arsenal fans, his match-winning cameos are becoming a familiar sight. The question now is whether he can do it once more against France.