JAKARTA - Spain national team midfielder Mikel Merino was humble despite being the decisive factor in La Roja's victory over Belgium in the 2026 World Cup quarterfinal at the SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, Saturday, July 11.
Merino assessed his winning goal was just a coincidence and every player has the opportunity to change the course of the match even if he comes in as a substitute.
"It looked like a coincidence and if you go in fully prepared, it can happen again. I'm very happy. I doubt it will happen again, we'll see," Merino said on the FIFA website, quoted by Antara, Saturday, July 11.
The Arsenal player has twice in a row been the decisive winner for Spain at the 2026 World Cup by scoring in the final minutes after coming on as a substitute.
In the round of 16 against Portugal, Merino only entered in the 85th minute replacing Dani Olmo, but he managed to be the determinant of his team's victory with his goal in the 90+1 minute.
He did the same thing again against Belgium in the 2026 World Cup quarterfinal. Merino only came in at the 86th minute replacing Dani Olmo and only needed two minutes to score the winning goal.
The 30-year-old said his dream is to lead Spain back to world champions and now it's just two wins away.
"Two more matches to win the World Cup is a dream come true, hopefully we can achieve it," concluded Merino.
During the 2026 World Cup, Merino always appeared in six Spain matches that yielded two goals.
Spain will face France in the semi-final at the AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Wednesday (15/7) at 02.00 WIB.
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