How Belgium's Charles De Ketelaere broke Spain's historic, 650-minute goalless streak

How Belgium’s Charles De Ketelaere broke Spain’s historic, 650-minute goalless streak originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Spain’s historic goalless streak came to a close in dramatic fashion on Friday night.

Luis de la Fuente’s side was pegged back by a 41st minute Charles De Ketelaere goal, seeing its one-goal lead vanish as the ball struck the back of the net.

Here’s what you need to know about La Roja’s historic streak that fell to ashes during the quarterfinals.

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Charles De Ketelaere breaks Spain’s goalless streak

Spain’s defense forgot what it meant to concede for the better part of six games, failing to surrender a goal en route to its quarterfinals appearance.

That sterling run of defensive form came to an end during the first half of La Roja’s tilt with Belgium.

Charles De Ketelaere was the man to break the siege, connecting with a deft Timothy Castagne cross via header to level the score at one goal apiece.

What a goal from Belgium to equalize against Spain 🔥 pic.twitter.com/qUuIDWm1NL

— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 10, 2026

The Red Devils rarely tested Unai Simon’s cage during the first half, recording just two shots in the frame. De Ketelaere found the target, converting a chance that carried an expected goals figure of just 0.17.

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How long did Spain go between conceding goals?

Prior to conceding against Belgium, Spain’s defense avoided breach for 650 minutes. The last time La Roja surrendered a goal was in a pre-World Cup friendly against Peru. Jairo Velez found the net with a 66th minute strike on June 9.