MUNDIAL·26

Quarter-final · Friday, July 10 · Los Angeles Stadium, Los Angeles · 70,492 in the stands

kickoff 12:00 local · 26°C · 60% humidity · roofed stadium

Spain

30′ Fabian RUIZ (pen)

88′ Mikel MERINO (pen)

2:1

Belgium

41′ Charles DE KETELAERE (pen)

tap a player for their match file

Spain4-2-3-1
Belgium4-2-3-1
Unai SIMON5.7Pedro PORRO6.4Aymeric LAPORTE6.4Pau CUBARSI7.5Marc CUCURELLA6.7Fabian RUIZ7.8Alex BAENA6.6RODRI7.3Dani OLMO7.2Lamine YAMAL7.0Mikel OYARZABAL7.1Thibaut COURTOIS6.9Brandon MECHELE6.9Maxim DE CUYPER6.1Timothy CASTAGNE7.0Nathan NGOY6.9Kevin DE BRUYNE6.6Hans VANAKEN6.6Nicolas RASKIN6.1Leandro TROSSARD6.6Jeremy DOKU6.7Charles DE KETELAERE7.1
from the bench

match pulse — xG per 5 minutes · goals · cards

45′90′ESPBEL

goals — hover the strip for every shot and card, with names

  • 30′Ruiz0.45 xG
  • 41′De Ketelaere0.13 xG
  • 88′Merino0.69 xG
ESP 0:0 BEL0'kickoff
10' Rodri — xG 0.13 · Blocked13' Baena — xG 0.10 · Blocked15' De Ketelaere — xG 0.03 · Blocked21' Yamal — xG 0.04 · Missed30' Olmo — xG 0.22 · Saved30' Ruiz — xG 0.45 · Goal35' Yamal — xG 0.08 · Saved40' Yamal — xG 0.02 · Missed41' De Ketelaere — xG 0.13 · Goal45' Porro — xG 0.03 · Missed45 + 2' Ruiz — xG 0.03 · Blocked52' Yamal — xG 0.08 · Blocked53' Olmo — xG 0.03 · Missed55' de Cuyper — xG 0.05 · Missed61' Yamal — xG 0.02 · Saved62' De Bruyne — xG 0.09 · Saved62' Oyarzabal — xG 0.07 · Saved74' Yamal — xG 0.02 · Blocked84' De Bruyne — xG 0.04 · Blocked88' Cubarsí — xG 0.03 · Saved88' Merino — xG 0.69 · Goal90 + 7' Cucurella — xG 0.05 · Saved

▶ Watch every shot in 3D⟲ Replay the match

The xG race — cumulative expected goals, minute by minute

ESP 0:0 BEL
1.02.00′15′30′45′60′75′90′30' Ruiz — GOAL41' De Ketelaere — GOAL88' Merino — GOAL2.090.34

On paper vs as played — formation sheet vs heatmap reality

ESP 4-2-3-1 attack →, ← BEL 4-2-3-1 attack. The teamsheet, as announced.

23Unai SIMONUnai SIMON12Pedro PORROPedro PORRO14Aymeric LAPORTEAymeric LAPORTE22Pau CUBARSIPau CUBARSI24Marc CUCURELLAMarc CUCURELLA8Fabian RUIZFabian RUIZ15Alex BAENAAlex BAENA16RODRIRODRI10Dani OLMODani OLMO19Lamine YAMALLamine YAMAL21Mikel OYARZABALMikel OYARZABAL1Thibaut COURTOISThibaut COURTOIS4Brandon MECHELEBrandon MECHELE5Maxim DE CUYPERMaxim DE CUYPER21Timothy CASTAGNETimothy CASTAGNE25Nathan NGOYNathan NGOY7Kevin DE BRUYNEKevin DE BRUYNE20Hans VANAKENHans VANAKEN23Nicolas RASKINNicolas RASKIN10Leandro TROSSARDLeandro TROSSARD11Jeremy DOKUJeremy DOKU17Charles DE KETELAERECharles DE KETELAERE

The duel — team data, FIFA tracking included

62%
Possession
31%
2.20
Expected goals
0.34
75
Threat
25
17
Shots
5
8
On target
2
625
Passes completed
254
37
Forced turnovers
40
11.6s
Ball recovery time
20.0s
11.38
High-press phases
2.77
17
Fouls committed
12
3
Offsides
1
115 km
Distance covered
116 km
34.0 km/h
Top speed
32.7 km/h

Territory — where each team lived

Every player's heatmap, minutes-weighted and stacked per team. Spain attack →, ← Belgium attack. Brighter is more presence; where the colors meet is the contested ground.

How it happened

  1. 30′Fabian RUIZ (Spain) scores!!
  2. 41′Charles DE KETELAERE (Belgium) scores!!
  3. 43′Pau CUBARSI (Spain) is booked by the referee.
  4. 55′Ferran TORRES (in) comes off the bench to replace Alex BAENA (out) (Spain)
  5. 55′PEDRI (in) comes off the bench to replace Fabian RUIZ (out) (Spain)
  6. 60′Romelu LUKAKU (in) comes off the bench to replace Hans VANAKEN (out) (Belgium)
  7. 60′Axel WITSEL (in) comes off the bench to replace Leandro TROSSARD (out) (Belgium)
  8. 60′Joaquin SEYS (in) comes off the bench to replace Maxim DE CUYPER (out) (Belgium)
  9. 71′Senne LAMMENS (in) comes off the bench to replace Thibaut COURTOIS (out) (Belgium)
  10. 79′Nico WILLIAMS (in) comes off the bench to replace Mikel OYARZABAL (out) (Spain)
  11. 85′Kevin DE BRUYNE (Belgium) is booked by the referee.
  12. 86′Alexis SAELEMAEKERS (in) comes off the bench to replace Kevin DE BRUYNE (out) (Belgium)
  13. 86′Mikel MERINO (in) comes off the bench to replace Dani OLMO (out) (Spain)
  14. 88′Mikel MERINO (Spain) scores!!
  15. 90+3′Aymeric LAPORTE (Spain) is booked by the referee.
  16. 90+5′Axel WITSEL (Belgium) is booked by the referee.

The morning-after column · AI-written from the match data

Spain Presses Belgium Into Submission

Spain's dominion was suffocating from the start. They pressed high across 11.4 phases, forced 37 turnovers, and recovered possession at a relentless 11.6 seconds average. Belgium had no answer. A fortunate goal at 41 minutes—a scrap of an attempt worth just 0.13 xG—offered fleeting respite, but Spain's 62% possession never loosened its grip. Fabián Ruiz orchestrated from midfield; the Belgians were asphyxiated.

The numbers exposed the chasm: Spain's 2.2 expected goals to Belgium's 0.34 was the match's only real narrative. Pau Cubarsí and Rodri Hernández, both rated 7.3–7.5, controlled tempo while Courtois faced just two on-target shots before Spain's clinical 88th-minute finish (0.69 xG). Belgium's 40 forced turnovers were hollow—they lacked the precision to convert desperation into danger. Spain's ball recovery advantage and relentless pressing had already decided it.

Spain recovered possession in 11.6 seconds versus Belgium's 20-second scramble; attrition became suffocation.

88′

Spain's late goal sealed it; two hours of press intensity became, at last, inevitable.

What Spain needed

Relentless pressing dictated everything; survived one low-probability scare at 41.

  • Pressed high across 11.4 phases, forcing 37 turnovers while controlling 62 percent possession.
  • Ball recovery time of 11.6 seconds exhausted Belgium's 20-second struggle; midfield dominance was total.
  • Rodri and Cubarsí's 7.3–7.5 ratings anchored defence; limited opponent to 0.34 xG across ninety minutes.

What Belgium needed

Outmatched in possession and tempo; their one goal proved woefully insufficient.

  • Needed sharper finishing: 0.34 xG spoke to limited creation; one fortunate goal at 41 minutes was insufficient.
  • Ball recovery time doubled Spain's (20s versus 11.6s); pressed by only 2.8 high-press phases against 11.4.
  • Only five shots—two on target—against Spain's seventeen exposed toothless attack; early urgency was critical.