Haaland: England World Cup quarter-final will be ‘super special’
But it meant the end of the tournament for his City team-mate Jeremy Doku as the Red Devils conceded an 88th minute winner.
Mikel Merino pounced on a spill from substitute goalkeeper Senne Lammens to fire Spain into just their second-ever World Cup semi-final.
Rodri dictated the game from the centre of the pitch and La Roja were ahead on the half-hour mark when a quick one-two between Lamine Yamal and Pedro Porro allowed the full-back to pull the back for Dani Olmo.
His effort was parried by Thibaut Courtois but straight to Fabian Ruiz, who fired the loose ball into the net via a desperate attempt from Belgium’s Timothy Castagne.
Courtois kept out a Yamal free-kick as the 2010 winners tried to extend their lead but the game was all-square just 11 minutes later.
Spain had not conceded a goal in the tournament but were cut open in the 41st minute with City legend Kevin De Bruyne having a big hand in the goal.
The midfielder’s clever pass gave Castagne an opportunity to fire over a cross and he picked out Charles De Ketelaere to head home powerfully.
De Bruyne and Doku combined early in the second half for Maxim De Cuyper to blast into the sidenetting from inside the box.
But Spain were on top with Courtois again denying Yamal before the keeper was forced off with an injury with 20 minutes remaining.
His replacement Lammens kept out Pau Cubarsi’s long-range shot but Merino, who scored a late winner in the quarter-finals against Portugal, struck again when the ball ran loose.
Spain will now face France in the last-four on Tuesday 14 July at 20:00 (UK) in Dallas.
Watch our 2026 tour games on CITY+!
Subscribe to CITY+ now to see all three of City’s games during our 2026 pre-season tour of Asia.
We start in Hong Kong against Italian champions Inter on Saturday 1 August, with kick-off at 12:30 (UK).
After that, we go to Seoul to play a K League All-Stars side on Wednesday 5 August and then Atletico Madrid on Sunday 9 August. Both games begin at 12:00 (UK).
All three will be available to watch on mancity.com and our official app for current CITY+ subscribers globally*.
Available for £34.99 for an annual subscription or £9.99 per month, CITY+ gets you closer to the Club than ever before, with documentaries, live games and full-match replays throughout the season.
*City v Inter: Globally available except China, Italy
K League All-Stars v City: Globally available except South Korea
City v Atletico Madrid: Globally available except South Korea, Spain
