Merino the unlikely hero again as Spain wait for Lamine Yamal show

For almost any side looking to be successful, they need match winners throughout the team — and Spain are proving they have them as Mikel Merino delivered in his role as super sub once again to send the European champions into the World Cup semi-finals.

The Arsenal midfielder stepped off the bench for the second successive game to score the decisive goal, this time securing a 2-1 victory against Belgium. The win means Spain are into the last four of the tournament for only the second time. The last time they made it there — in 2010 — they went on to lift the trophy.

Merino's latest heroics have set up a meeting with France for a place in the final and also a mouthwatering showdown between Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal, who — by contrast to the Frenchman — is yet to make his mark at this World Cup.

Merino overcomes setbacks to become Spain's super sub

Few footballers relish developing a reputation as a super sub — someone who can come off the bench and make an impact — because they would rather be starting games on the pitch. But just being a part of Spain's World Cup squad was something Merino could not envisage just a few months ago.

In January, he suffered an unusual injury to his foot — a stress fracture in an area even specialists had not seen before. It not only ruled Merino out of action for Arsenal but also left his World Cup hopes in huge doubt, as he was unable to return to action for the Gunners until just a month before the tournament got under way.

Not only did Merino return and earn his place in the Spain squad, but he is proving an invaluable player in their run to the last four. He scored in stoppage time to send Portugal out in the last 16 and repeated those heroics against Belgium.

"Mikel is incredible," Spain boss Luis de la Fuente said after the quarter-final win. "He has many qualities. He is a player that across the whole World Cup could have played in whatever team and done great. For us he is the standard of this idea, of this model. It is a pleasure to have him, and others but especially him. We know that without fail he is always there."

Always there he may be, but Merino himself feared he would not be fit enough to play at this World Cup.

"The fact of being here a few months ago was unthinkable," Merino said after the Portugal win. "Now I am, as I said before, at the highest point, enjoying one of the happiest moments of my career. Now I remember all those bad moments, all the people who have supported me, all the people who have pushed me when even I sometimes found it difficult to believe I could be here."

Merino's heroics will be a familiar sight for Arsenal fans, with the 30-year-old having done similar at the Gunners. Traditionally a midfielder, his height has seen him utilised as a striker by Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, and the first time he was used in such a role was when he memorably came off the bench to score twice against Leicester in a 2-0 win in February last year.

"Merino is just one of those players who arrives at the right time, at the right moment in big games," former England striker Wayne Rooney said on Match of the Day.

De la Fuente added: "He can be the best striker and the best midfielder because of his understanding of the game. He interprets the game perfectly. He is committed, he is generous, he is happy to do the work."

Lammens' error spells end for Belgium's golden generation

Belgium's exit marks the end of an era for their so-called golden generation, with goalkeeper Lammens' mistake proving costly.

'Messi will make the wrong decisions at times' — Lamine Yamal yet to truly shine

This has been a tournament where the big names have stepped up, with Argentina great Lionel Messi, France's Mbappe, England's Harry Kane and Erling Haaland of Norway all playing leading roles for their respective teams. However, Spain and Barcelona's teenage star Lamine Yamal is yet to truly light up the stage to the extent he did during the national team's successful Euro 2024 campaign.