Spain’s Dominance in the World Cup
Spain had spent 649 minutes in the World Cup cultivating the aura of an untouchable team. They hadn’t conceded a goal, controlled matches with calm authority and poise, while suffocating opponents with relentless pressing. That invincibility was bound to be challenged one day. With Belgium finding that breakthrough in Friday’s quarter-final, Spain’s clean sheet was spoiled, but not their composure.
Instead, Spain responded in the way champions so often do, refusing to let a moment of adversity change their destiny. A 2-1 win, sealed by Mikel Merino, carried Spain into the semi-finals against France and reinforced the impression that this remains the World Cup’s most complete team. Belgium will take this scoreline with a pinch of salt, given that both goals were partly due to their goalkeepers’ errors. There was no doubt, however, about Spain’s superiority as they spent much of the evening pinning Belgium inside their own half, stretching the pitch, recycling possession with patience, and attacking with a persistence that eventually cracked their resistance.
The breakthrough came just after the half-hour and owed everything to Spain’s insistence on asking the same questions until Belgium ran out of answers. Pedro Porro surged beyond Jeremy Doku on the right, the winger unable to match the full-back’s determination in a challenge he really should have managed better. Porro’s cut-back found Dani Olmo in space, but his effort lacked conviction and was struck too close to Thibaut Courtois.
The Belgium goalkeeper, however, could only push the ball into a dangerous central area. Fabián Ruiz reacted quickest to the spill, arriving ahead of everyone else to sweep home from close range for his first World Cup goal. It was a gift, certainly, but one created through Spain’s relentless territorial dominance. Belgium had struggled to escape their press, and when they did, they rarely managed to keep the ball long enough to relieve the pressure.
Yet, for all Spain’s control, there remained the sense that they were not quite ruthless enough in the final third. Their movement repeatedly opened passing lanes, only for the decisive ball to arrive a fraction late or travel slightly astray. On one occasion, Pau Cubarsí clipped a beautifully weighted pass over the Belgian defence for Lamine Yamal, whose explosive run took him beyond Courtois, only for the assistant’s flag to deny what would have been another glorious chance.
Belgium, meanwhile, kept threatening whenever Jeremy Doku was given room to run. The Manchester City winger injected urgency into every attack, driving directly at defenders and forcing Spain to retreat in a way few opponents have managed in this World Cup. That threat finally yielded some reward as Timothy Castagne sent in an inviting cross, prompting Charles De Ketelaere to beat Pau Cubarsí to it and head it past Unai Simón. It wasn’t exactly a moment of brilliance from Belgium, nor a defensive lapse from Spain, considering there was very little any defender could have done from behind once the ball had been delivered close to the first post. But it certainly startled Spain.
Sensing the possibility of a heist, Belgium introduced Romelu Lukaku for Leandro Trossard, Axel Witsel for Hans Vanaken, and Joaquín Seys in place of Maxim De Cuyper to inject more momentum into the midfield. But then came the evening’s most poignant moment when Courtois indicated that he could no longer continue because of a niggle. That meant Senne Lammens, the Manchester United goalkeeper, entered the pitch under the harshest circumstances imaginable.
In the end, his introduction would prove decisive for all the wrong reasons. With Belgium pushing for extra time, Cubarsí stepped forward confidently and unleashed a powerful piledriver from 25 yards. It was not a difficult save, and Lammens initially appeared to have done enough to stop the shot. But he spilled the ball, allowing Merino to react and slam home the rebound before Belgium’s defenders could recover. It was a cruel error on the biggest stage, but one born from the kind of sustained pressure only Spain are capable of applying.
There was still time for Belgium to throw bodies forward, yet Spain never appeared rattled by the concession that had ended their clean-sheet record in the first place. They continued to dominate possession and managed the closing stages with the assurance that has become their defining characteristic. But it must rankle that they could have settled the contest earlier.
Spain’s intricate approach play deserved a cleaner final pass and probably sharper finishing from Lamine Yamal. Against France, a repetition of those lapses could invite heavier penalties. Even so, this was another performance that underlined why Spain entered this tournament as favourites. Having shown they could concede and still win comfortably in what was their first genuine examination, Spain have emerged as even stronger contenders for the World Cup.
