The solution was on the bench

BarcelonaThe Spanish national team is already in the World Cup semi-finals. Suffering, dominating possession but struggling to break down Belgium's defense, Lamine Yamal and company's team ended up defeating the Belgian side (2-1) with an early goal from Fabián and a late one from Mikel Merino at the very end of regular time. The "red" dream continues despite the team not managing to dispel doubts, unable to complete a full 90-minute match. The next hurdle is France, with whom they will compete for a place in the final.

la roja continues despite the team not managing to dispel doubts, unable to complete a full 90-minute match. The next hurdle is France, with whom they will compete for a place in the final.

De la Fuente surprised in the starting eleven by leaving Pedri on the bench. It's true that the Canary Islands midfielder wasn't offering his best version in this World Cup, but very few imagined him being a substitute in a must-win game. Fabián came in for him, but although he scored the first goal, his contribution did not come close to making up for the magic that the footballer from Tegueste can provide.

Spain struggled to get the engine running and it wasn't until the hydration break that they showed clear attacking intent. This isn't the first time it's happened in the tournament, as if the coach and the team treated the first few minutes as a kind of observation game, studying the opponent to find their weaknesses. In reality, Spain attacked from the start, but the team lacked ideas, fluidity, combination play, and penetration. They shifted play to the right, looking for Lamine who seemed apathetic at first, until he woke up.

Belgium is no longer what it used to be. Apart from some high pressing to disrupt Spain's ball circulation, Rudi Garcia's team's approach was to sit deep and wait for opportunities to counter-attack at speed after regaining possession. Those Red Devils who earned respect by finishing third in the 2018 World Cup are today a team that survives without creative geniuses, relying entirely on group solidity and occasional individual actions when, for example, De Bruyne can receive the ball and distribute play. A solidity that theoretically begins in goal, well-protected by a Courtois who remains one of the best goalkeepers in the world but is not a superhero. The Real Madrid goalkeeper had to leave the pitch in the second half due to a muscle tear. He left the field in tears and was replaced by young Senne Lammens, a Manchester United goalkeeper.

The dominance of the red team, accentuated after the hydration break, bore fruit with clearer arrivals and shots that put Courtois in difficulty. Lamine Yamal tried it, with a free-kick shot that the goalkeeper blocked. But the goal came with an action that was also initiated by the player from Rocafonda, who left Doku static and assisted for Olmo's shot. Courtois did not clear it well enough and Fabián, who had advanced his position, surprised by finishing off a dead ball into the back of the net.

The first goal against

It seemed like the same script as the Austria match, where after chewing sand at the start, Spain managed to open the floodgates. The first half ended with nine shots from La Roja, three on target, and over 60% possession... but with the game tied. And it was Belgium, with their only shot on goal, who managed to equalize thanks to a header from De Ketelaere, who outmarked Cubarsí from a cross from the side. It was the first goal Spain had conceded in this World Cup. But it was also the first clear shot Unai Simón had to save, and he was a bit slow on the reflexes for that action.

The second half began with a deceptive sense of danger in Spain's favor. They accepted the exchange of blows, running from end to end, attacking and also being attacked. There were more attacks from De la Fuente's team, but the clearest chance was a shot from De Cuyper into the side netting. It was then that the Spanish coach said enough was enough and brought on Pedri to bring some order. Ferran also came on, replacing Baena, with the task of attacking down the left flank where Baena had been quite unnoticeable. In the end, he ended up in the center after the reappearance of Nico Williams, a forward who has been plagued by injuries and was called up to the World Cup more for his reputation than for what he could offer on the pitch.

Another goal at the end of the match

Although Belgium wasn't sure at first, Courtois' injury in the 70th minute was key for the Red Devils to retreat even further. The Belgians left another war veteran, Lukaku, who had come on in the second half, hanging. Meanwhile, they tried to defend the score. But nothing was the same. Spain attacked and attacked and found their reward in a play invented by Cubarsí, who was being shadowed and dared to shoot. The ball went very fast and Lammens couldn't block it. And there appeared Mikel Merino, the hero of the match against Portugal, to put his foot in and score a goal that qualified Spain.

But before Spain could sing victory, Belgium attacked desperately in the final minutes and La Roja needed Laporte to be key, preventing a goal after a bad clearance from Unai. A final warning for sailors, considering that the opponent in the semifinals is France and that they have more firepower than the Belgians. But that will be another story.