![\"\"](\"https:\/\/skychatz.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/skysports-world-cup-quarter-final_7291692.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSpain<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Route to the quarter-finals:<\/strong>\u00a0Spain began with an embarrassing 0-0 draw against Cape Verde but recovered to hammer Saudi Arabia and beat Uruguay to top Group H. They delivered a statement victory in the round of 32, impressively thrashing Austria 3-0 with their best performance before beating Portugal thanks to Mikel Merino\u2019s late winner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Best player so far:<\/strong>\u00a0Mikel Oyarzabal has scored four times but it\u2019s\u00a0Pau Cubarsi\u2019s<\/strong>\u00a0impact at centre-back that has helped keep Spain\u2019s defence watertight. The 19-year-old Barcelona defender has been their most consistent performer and has developed a strong partnership alongside Aymeric Laporte.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gem to watch:<\/strong>\u00a0Lamine Yamal\u00a0<\/strong>made a slow start to the World Cup as he rediscovered his sharpness after returning from a thigh injury. He\u2019s scored just once, although he completed his first 90 minutes against Portugal and there is much more to come from the 18-year-old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Strength:<\/strong>\u00a0Spain are known for their stylish football and attacking flair, but it\u2019s their\u00a0defence<\/strong>\u00a0that has impressed most. Luis de la Fuente\u2019s side are yet to concede a goal, have by far the lowest xG against of just 1.49 and have only faced five shots on target.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Weakness:<\/strong>\u00a0Cape Verde showed the blueprint of how to frustrate Spain, who have at times struggled in attack. They have underperformed their xG and have a\u00a0conversion rate<\/strong>\u00a0that is lower than that of all the other quarter-finalists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Route to the quarter-finals:\u00a0<\/strong>Belgium struggled initially in Group G, drawing their first two matches against Egypt and Iran before hammering New Zealand 5-1 to finish top. They then looked set to be heading out when two goals down to Senegal with four minutes left, only to score twice and then net a 125th-minute winner in extra time. A 4-1 win over the USA in the previous round was much more straightforward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Best player so far:<\/strong>\u00a0Romelu Lukaku has scored three times and Youri Tielemans has played a major part in keeping Belgium in the tournament, but it\u2019s\u00a0Leandro Trossard<\/strong>\u00a0who has been his country\u2019s standout performer. The Arsenal winger has been a constant threat, scoring two goals and providing two assists, while creating the most chances of any player at the tournament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gem to watch:<\/strong>\u00a0Atalanta forward\u00a0Charles De Ketelaere<\/strong>\u00a0significantly strengthened his case for a starting spot with two goals and an assist against the USA. The 6ft 4in 25-year-old, who is left-footed, offers a different profile to Lukaku and could worry Spain at set pieces and crosses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Strength:<\/strong>\u00a0Belgium have nailed their\u00a0press<\/strong>. They\u2019ve had 15 shots, almost double than the next best, when they\u2019ve won a high turnover and their four goals from them are the most of any side. But will they be brave enough to continue with their aggressive approach against Spain\u2019s possession-first style?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Weakness:<\/strong>\u00a0It would have been unthinkable a year ago that\u00a0Kevin De Bruyne\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Jeremy Doku<\/strong>\u00a0would be substituted in the 56th minute of a World Cup game when two goals down to Senegal. De Bruyne was an unused substitute against the USA, while Doku has yet to register a goal involvement. Two of Belgium\u2019s main men haven\u2019t turned up yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Spain vs Belgium Friday July 10\u00a0kick-off 8pm \u2013 Los Angeles, USA Spain Route to the quarter-finals:\u00a0Spain began with an embarrassing 0-0 draw against Cape Verde but recovered to hammer Saudi Arabia and beat Uruguay to top Group H. They delivered a statement victory in the round of 32, impressively thrashing Austria 3-0 with their best […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[135,133,113,37,134],"class_list":["post-2675","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-belguim","tag-cup-world-2026","tag-football","tag-skychatz","tag-spain"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/skychatz.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2675","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/skychatz.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/skychatz.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skychatz.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skychatz.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2675"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/skychatz.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2675\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2678,"href":"https:\/\/skychatz.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2675\/revisions\/2678"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/skychatz.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2675"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skychatz.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2675"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skychatz.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2675"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Belgium<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/skychatz.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/skysports-romelu-lukaku-belgium_7291816.jpg\")
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