Jamal regains his shine in the 2026 World Cup with magical dribbles and creative inspirations.

Magical dribbles and creative inspirations, all that was missing was a bit of luck: Lamine Jamal had to wait until his sixth match in this World Cup to finally show his best, during Spain's victory over Belgium (2-1) on Friday in the quarter-finals.

The match, for a long time, was reduced to a distant battle between the Barcelona winger and Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who thwarted his attempts and many other Spanish efforts, before the giant goalkeeper was forced to leave due to a left thigh injury (71).

And from a shot by Pau Cubarsi, his substitute Sini Lamine made a grave error in catching it, something the starting goalkeeper would not have done, allowing substitute Mikel Merino, who had eliminated Portugal in the round of 16, to repeat the feat (88).

Thus, "La Roja," the European champion, paved its way to the semi-finals to face France next Tuesday in Dallas. A date that is sure to excite Jamal, who is used to shining against "the Blues" at this stage of major tournaments: a wonderful goal in the Euro 2024 (2-1), and two other goals in the UEFA Nations League last year (5-4).

And while this talented player, who will turn 19 on Sunday, is still searching for his second goal in the tournament, far from the crazy race led by Argentine Lionel Messi and French Kylian Mbappe (8), he significantly contributed to his country's qualification against Belgium at Sofi Stadium in Los Angeles.

Confirming the rise in his level that appeared in the previous round, during the round of 16 match against Portugal led by Cristiano Ronaldo (1-0), he posed a constant threat to the "Red Devils" defense from the right side.

He was the provider of the first assist for Spain's goal, with a precise deep pass to Pedro Porro, who crossed it to Dani Olmo, forcing Courtois to make a futile save, before Fabian Ruiz capitalized and scored (29).