Eloy Olaya savors Spain's World Cup revenge over Belgium 40 years later

Spain defeated Belgium 2-1 in the 2026 World Cup quarterfinals, avenging a painful loss in the same round 40 years earlier. The match, played at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, rekindled memories of the 1986 quarterfinal when Eloy Olaya missed a crucial penalty in the shootout. Now 62, Olaya celebrated the victory on his birthday, calling it a 'revenge' for that elimination Source: infobae.

The 1986 ghost

Olaya, who turned 62 on the day of the match, admitted that the 1986 miss has followed him for decades. 'Sometimes the bad moments are remembered more than the good ones,' he told ABC Source: abces. He listed other Spanish footballing heartbreaks—Cardeñosa in 1978, Julio Salinas in 1994, Raúl in 2000, Joaquín in 2002—as part of a 'bitter litany' Source: abces. But this win, he said, 'liberated us all from that label of losers' Source: abces.

A cathartic win

Olaya praised the current Spain team for their 'solidarity, commitment and competitive spirit,' noting they were 'far superior' to Belgium Source: infobae. Goals from Fabián Ruiz and Mikel Merino sealed the triumph. 'If you had told me 40 years ago that I would still be asked about that penalty, I wouldn't have believed it,' Olaya reflected Source: abces. Now he looks ahead to a semifinal against France, with the goal of winning 'the second star' for Spain Source: infobae.