​Inglewood, CA — Belgium has broken through against Spain. The Red Devils achieved what no other team has in the 2026 World Cup so far: scoring on the Spaniards. Charles De Ketelaere delivered the breakthrough in the 41st minute of their quarterfinal clash at SoFi Stadium on Friday, July 10.
Following Spain’s opening marker, Belgium wasted little time creating its first real opportunity of the day. Timothy Castagne threaded a perfect ball to De Ketelaere, whose header slipped past Spain’s goalkeeper Unai Simón for the goal. The strike ended Spain’s remarkable run of defensive dominance, snapping a 6-match streak without conceding a goal—the longest in World Cup history. Simón had entered the day with 609 consecutive minutes without surrendering a goal and extended that run to 649 minutes before Belgium’s attack finally breached the net.
Belgium has now tallied 13 goals across its last four matches, including eight goals in the knockout rounds, the most of any team remaining in the tournament. It marks the third goal for De Ketelaere in just two matches, following his brace against the United States in the Round of 16.
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The World Cup formats a single-elimination bracket once the knockout stage begins. Thirty-two teams remain, and the field is halved in each round until a champion is crowned. The only exception is that the two semifinal losers will contest a third-place game before the final.
July 10: Spain vs. Belgium — Inglewood
July 14: France vs. the Inglewood winner — Arlington
July 15: Miami winner vs. Kansas City winner — Atlanta
July 19: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
This piece originally appeared on USA TODAY. For better search visibility, the focus is on identifying who scored for Belgium, with a highlight on Charles De Ketelaere’s goal against Spain in this World Cup match.