![\"\u2013European](\"https:\/\/sports.inquirer.net\/files\/2026\/07\/AP26187786689830-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\nSpain\u2019s Lamine Yamal (19) walks off the pitch after the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Portugal and Spain in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo\/Tony Gutierrez)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
LOS ANGELES\u2013European champion Spain is on a World Cup collision course with Kylian Mbappe\u2019s France if it may possibly beat Belgium in a quarterfinal on Friday.<\/p>\n
On the spectacular SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, the Belgians face the daunting task of breaking through a Spanish defense that has yet to concede a goal within the tournament.<\/p>\n
If Spain wins, it is going to head to Texas next Tuesday for a mouth-watering semi-final against France that many observers are already describing as the ultimate before the ultimate.<\/p>\n
First, though, Spain needs to search out goals against a Belgium team which began the World Cup slowly but caught fire because the tournament has gone on.<\/p>\n
The 4-1 demolition of the USA within the last round showed just how far the team coached by Rudi Garcia have are available just a number of weeks.<\/p>\n
Spain, meanwhile, has not displayed the attacking flair of France but it surely is playing the possession-based football that carried it to the country\u2019s only World Cup triumph, in South Africa in 2010.<\/p>\n
Lamine Yamal of Barcelona, who turns 19 next week, is Spain\u2019s standout attacker but he arrived in the US after suffering a late-season injury and has seemed a peripheral figure at times, scoring only once in five games.<\/p>\n
Yamal, widely tipped to inherit the mantle of the world\u2019s biggest player from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, might be due a goal.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all know that the most effective version of him, the attacking Lamine, is something that we haven\u2019t quite seen yet on this World Cup. To not the extent that we\u2019re used to,\u201d said Spain coach Luis de la Fuente.<\/p>\n
In Yamal\u2019s absence, Mikel Oyarzabal has scored 4 times, including twice within the 3-0 defeat of Austria within the last 32 at SoFi.<\/p>\n
Spain has conceded just six shots on track of their five matches to this point.<\/p>\n
\u00a0Higher and higher<\/h2>\n![\"Belgium's](\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\")
![\"Belgium's](\"https:\/\/sports.inquirer.net\/files\/2026\/07\/AP26188095849460-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\nBelgium\u2019s Hans Vanaken (20) celebrates after scoring his side\u2019s third goal throughout the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between the US and Belgium in Seattle, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo\/Lindsey Wasson)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Belgium looked leaden and its stars ageing when it opened its group-stage account.<\/p>\n
However the Belgians showed their mettle in an exciting defeat of Senegal within the last 32, when Youri Tielemans dragged his team back from 2-0 right down to a 3-2 victory after the introduction of Romelu Lukaku as an impact substitute.<\/p>\n
They then demolished the US within the last 16, in a game overshadowed by President Donald Trump\u2019s intervention to get US striker Folarin Balogun\u2019s red card from the previous round cancelled.<\/p>\n
That move fired up the Belgians, who gently mocked Trump with an on-field imitation of the president\u2019s YMCA dance.<\/p>\n
The World Cup is probably going the last hurrah for the rest of Belgium\u2019s so-called Golden Generation, including Lukaku, former Premier League player of the yr Kevin De Bruyne and towering goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois of Real Madrid.<\/p>\n
Belgium is comfortable with its status as underdog.<\/p>\n
Coach Garcia said: \u201cEveryone seems to be already talking about us going home. But we expect that we will do it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe predict we will pull it off, and we\u2019re going to do every part we will to get to the semis.\u201d<\/p>\n
England\u2019s bid to return to the semi-finals after a last-eight exit 4 years ago hit one other bump as centre-half Marc Guehi is now a doubt for Saturday\u2019s meeting with Norway with a hamstring strain.<\/p>\n
The Manchester City defender shall be assessed Friday, but with Jarell Quansah suspended for the quarter-final clash in Miami after being sent off against Mexico within the previous round, coach Thomas Tuchel finds himself with unwanted defensive headaches as he plots on find out how to stop Erling Haaland.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, France turned what was expected to be a good quarter-final with Morocco right into a clinical 2-0 win in Foxborough, Massachusetts.<\/p>\n
Mbappe scored his eighth goal of this World Cup and twentieth overall before Ousmane Dembele accomplished the job.<\/p>\n
The France captain was substituted and applied an ice pack to his foot, but was quick to reassure France fans that it was nothing serious.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Spain\u2019s Lamine Yamal (19) walks off the pitch after the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Portugal and Spain in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo\/Tony Gutierrez) LOS ANGELES\u2013European champion Spain is on a World Cup collision course with Kylian Mbappe\u2019s France if it may possibly beat Belgium in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":364091,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[338],"tags":[4961,5175,1352,3619,9445,7069],"class_list":["post-364090","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","tag-aims","tag-belgium","tag-duel","tag-faces","tag-france","tag-spain"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t
<\/p>\nBelgium\u2019s Hans Vanaken (20) celebrates after scoring his side\u2019s third goal throughout the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between the US and Belgium in Seattle, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo\/Lindsey Wasson)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Belgium looked leaden and its stars ageing when it opened its group-stage account.<\/p>\n
However the Belgians showed their mettle in an exciting defeat of Senegal within the last 32, when Youri Tielemans dragged his team back from 2-0 right down to a 3-2 victory after the introduction of Romelu Lukaku as an impact substitute.<\/p>\n
They then demolished the US within the last 16, in a game overshadowed by President Donald Trump\u2019s intervention to get US striker Folarin Balogun\u2019s red card from the previous round cancelled.<\/p>\n
That move fired up the Belgians, who gently mocked Trump with an on-field imitation of the president\u2019s YMCA dance.<\/p>\n
The World Cup is probably going the last hurrah for the rest of Belgium\u2019s so-called Golden Generation, including Lukaku, former Premier League player of the yr Kevin De Bruyne and towering goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois of Real Madrid.<\/p>\n
Belgium is comfortable with its status as underdog.<\/p>\n
Coach Garcia said: \u201cEveryone seems to be already talking about us going home. But we expect that we will do it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe predict we will pull it off, and we\u2019re going to do every part we will to get to the semis.\u201d<\/p>\n
England\u2019s bid to return to the semi-finals after a last-eight exit 4 years ago hit one other bump as centre-half Marc Guehi is now a doubt for Saturday\u2019s meeting with Norway with a hamstring strain.<\/p>\n
The Manchester City defender shall be assessed Friday, but with Jarell Quansah suspended for the quarter-final clash in Miami after being sent off against Mexico within the previous round, coach Thomas Tuchel finds himself with unwanted defensive headaches as he plots on find out how to stop Erling Haaland.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, France turned what was expected to be a good quarter-final with Morocco right into a clinical 2-0 win in Foxborough, Massachusetts.<\/p>\n
Mbappe scored his eighth goal of this World Cup and twentieth overall before Ousmane Dembele accomplished the job.<\/p>\n
The France captain was substituted and applied an ice pack to his foot, but was quick to reassure France fans that it was nothing serious.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Spain\u2019s Lamine Yamal (19) walks off the pitch after the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Portugal and Spain in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo\/Tony Gutierrez) LOS ANGELES\u2013European champion Spain is on a World Cup collision course with Kylian Mbappe\u2019s France if it may possibly beat Belgium in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":364091,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[338],"tags":[4961,5175,1352,3619,9445,7069],"class_list":["post-364090","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","tag-aims","tag-belgium","tag-duel","tag-faces","tag-france","tag-spain"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t