Lamine Yamal was awarded Man of the Match after Spain defeated Belgium 2-1 in the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarterfinal on Friday at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
The 18-year-old Barcelona forward played a key role in Spain’s victory, which saw Fabián Ruiz open the scoring in the 30th minute. Belgium equalized through Charles De Ketelaere before halftime, but Mikel Merino secured the win with a late goal in the 88th minute.
In post-match comments, Yamal reflected on the challenge of facing defensive setups. “It may seem like we’re not playing beautiful football, but we haven’t played a team on equal footing with us,” he said. He added that opponents drop back to defend, making matches difficult, yet Spain secured the victory.
Yamal also expressed happiness about reaching the semifinals and noted being closely marked by multiple players while highlighting team play that creates opportunities.
The result sends Spain into a semifinal against France. Yamal’s performance underscored his growing influence in major tournaments, building on his contributions throughout the competition. Spain, the defending European champions, continues its strong run in the World Cup.