World Cup: Merino strikes late, Spain beat Belgium to reach semi-finals against France

World Cup: Merino strikes late, Spain beat Belgium to reach semi-finals against France

Spain is through to the FIFA World Cup 2026™ tournament semi-finals after a dramatic 2-1 win over Belgium. Fabián Ruiz opened the scoring for the Spaniards, before Belgium equalised through Charles De Ketelaere. But substitute Mikel Merino - also the hero in the previous round against Portugal - came off the bench in the 86th minute, and scored just before stoppage time. Lamine Yamal was named Player of the Match after another electric performance. Join your host Haylena Krishnamoorthy for this episode of World Cup Daily | The 90+ Podcast, as she talks to former Matildas legend and SBS World Cup pundit, Sarah Walsh to break down the match. World Cup Daily | The 90+ Podcast is SBS's daily FIFA World Cup 2026™ podcast covering the biggest stories on and beyond the pitch. In this episode: * Spain is through to the FIFA World Cup 2026™ tournament semi-finals after a dramatic 2-1 win over Belgium * Fabián Ruiz opened the scoring for the Spaniards, before Belgium equalised through Charles De Ketelaere * Substitute Mikel Merino came off the bench iand scored just before stoppage time * Lamine Yamal was named Player of the Match after another electric performance * Former Matildas legend and SBS World Cup pundit, Sarah Walsh breaks down the match, and discusses VAR From unforgettable moments, match highlights, emerging stars, FIFA politics, major controversies and the stories shaping the tournament, The 90+ brings you the key talking points from the FIFA World Cup 2026™ every day. For more on this series, follow The 90+ Podcast [https://www.sbs.com.au/news/podcast/world-cup-daily-the-90-podcast]. Get daily updates on the SBS News website [https://www.sbs.com.au/news] and follow SBS Sport on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/sbssportau], TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@sbssportau], X [https://x.com/SBSSportau], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/sbssportau] and Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/sbssportau/] for all the latest from the FIFA World Cup 2026™. The FIFA World Cup 26ᵀᴹ [https://www.sbs.com.au/sport/fifa-world-cup-2026/how-to-watch] kicks off on June 12 (AEST) - with coverage starting for the tournament opener between Mexico and South Africa from 4am (AEST) - and will be an exclusive broadcast on SBS in Australia. You can watch all 104 matches of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ live, free and exclusive on SBS [https://www.sbs.com.au/sport/fifa-world-cup-2026], SBS VICELAND and SBS On Demand [https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/fifa-world-cup-2026].

INTERVIEW: Tuna Wars: Allan Rahari talks about the fishery's major threats

Allan Rahari, the Interim Deputy Director General of the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency and the Director of Fisheries Operations. He calls tuna the "backbone" of the Pacific and speaks with SBS News about a major threat to the fishery: illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

INTERVIEW: AI is escalating sexual child abuse online

A new national study has found that artificial intelligence (AI) escalates the amount of online sexual exploitation against children. The research, a collaboration between the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children Australia and the Australian Federal Police’s Centre to Counter Child Exploitation, found that at least one young person in every Year 12 classroom has experienced or known someone who has experienced AI-facilitated sexual abuse. Associate Professor Tim Cubitt from Adelaide University, an author of the study, tells SBS reporter Wing Kuang that AI is not only escalating sexual child abuse online, it’s also become a safehaven that many children who experienced sexual exploitation turn to for help.

Tuna Wars: Cracking down on illegal fishing

. The Pacific tuna fishery is the largest in the world, supplying more than half of the worlds catch. But its abundance has made it a target for illegal, unreported or unregulated fishing activity, largely by commercial operators. To combat this - a cross-Pacific crackdown, including assistance from Australia, aims to identify illegal actors through a multi-layered approach. And this story was supported by the Pulitzer Centre.

Westpac brings forward rate cut forecast as ASX snaps losing streak.

Ricardo Gonçalves examines why Westpac Chief Economist Luci Ellis now expects the RBA to begin cutting interest rates in 2027 instead of 2028, while still forecasting two more rate rises before then. Plus, the Australian sharemarket ends a four-day losing streak, with miners leading the gains as gold and uranium stocks rally, while Telstra slips further following its recent network outage. Dianne Colledge from Morgans also joins the podcast to break down the day's market moves and discusses the latest wave of US IPOs.