INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Belgium forward Charles De Ketelaere scored the first goal allowed by Spain in the entire World Cup in the 41st minute Friday, sending the teams to halftime even at 1-1 in the quarterfinals.
Fabián Ruiz scored in the 30th minute for Spain, which didn't allow a goal in its first five matches at this year's tournament. Goalkeeper Unai Simón hadn't conceded in a World Cup-record 650 minutes dating to Qatar before De Ketelaere abruptly ended the streak by muscling past teenage defender Pau Cubarsí and heading home a cross from Timothy Castagne.
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Belgium's Charles De Ketelaere heads the ball flanked by Spain's Marc Cucurella during the World Cup quarterfinal soccer match between Spain and Belgium in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Friday, July 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Spain's Lamine Yamal (19) controls the ball during the World Cup quarterfinal soccer match between Spain and Belgium in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Friday, July 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
Spain's Fabian Ruiz (8) scores their opening goal during the World Cup quarterfinal soccer match between Spain and Belgium in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Friday, July 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Belgium's Charles De Ketelaere (17) challenges for the ball with Spain's Marc Cucurella (24) during the World Cup quarterfinal soccer match between Spain and Belgium in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Friday, July 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
After a cautious start from both teams in the World Cup's second quarterfinal match, Spain broke through when Lamine Yamal and Pedro Porro moved the the ball down the right side and got it to Dani Olmo, whose shot was stopped by Thibaut Courtois. The rebound went straight to Ruiz, who hammered home his first goal of the World Cup.
Ruiz was making his first start since Spain's World Cup opener, replacing Pedri in the lineup in a mildly surprising tactical decision by Spain coach Luis De La Fuente, whose team is unbeaten since March 2023.
Belgium hadn’t generated anything close to a strong scoring chance before the goal from De Ketelaere, the Atalanta forward who scored two goals in Belgium's 4-1 rout of the co-host U.S. on Monday.
Belgium captain Youri Tielemans was removed from the starting lineup after getting injured during warmups. He joined injured defender Amadou Onana on the sidelines, although Kevin De Bruyne returned for Belgium.
The winner at SoFi Stadium advances to face tournament favorite France in the semifinals on Tuesday in the Dallas area.
See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here
Belgium's Charles De Ketelaere heads the ball flanked by Spain's Marc Cucurella during the World Cup quarterfinal soccer match between Spain and Belgium in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Friday, July 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Spain's Lamine Yamal (19) controls the ball during the World Cup quarterfinal soccer match between Spain and Belgium in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Friday, July 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
Spain's Fabian Ruiz (8) scores their opening goal during the World Cup quarterfinal soccer match between Spain and Belgium in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Friday, July 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Belgium's Charles De Ketelaere (17) challenges for the ball with Spain's Marc Cucurella (24) during the World Cup quarterfinal soccer match between Spain and Belgium in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Friday, July 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
PROVO, Utah (AP) — Lawyers for the man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk tried to sow doubt about the case Friday, while a prosecutor countered that authorities have “overwhelming” evidence that includes DNA tests and apparent confessions by defendant Tyler Robinson.
Judge Tony Graf will decide if the case should advance to a trial after he hears closing arguments in Robinson's preliminary hearing on Sept. 1.
Kirk, 31, was killed as he spoke to a crowd of thousands at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10. Robinson is charged with aggravated murder and could face the death penalty.
Friday's proceedings capped a week of testimony and brought an emotional moment for Kirk's family when the court played surveillance video that prosecutors said showed Robinson on the rooftop where he allegedly fired a single bullet that hit Kirk in the neck.
Kirk's widow, Erika, watched intently as a person said to be Robinson ran across the roof. When the figure dropped to a crawl near the roof's edge , Erika Kirk turned and embraced Charlie Kirk's mother, Kathryn, who was crying. They held each other and looked away until the video was almost over.
Prosecutors this week presented a recorded interview with a former roommate who said the 23-year-old defendant expressed remorse for the shooting before turning himself in. Lawyers from the Utah County Attorney's Office also offered DNA analysis that investigators said linked Robinson to both the suspected murder weapon and a tool he allegedly used to etch messages onto bullet cartridges.
Robinson's team did not offer any alternative theories for who is responsible for Kirk's death. But one of his attorneys, Michael Burt, repeatedly questioned the reliability of DNA tests and other evidence cited by prosecutors.
Burt used testimony Friday from a government DNA analyst to highlight the limitations of such tests. He noted that government policies don't allow analysts to say that DNA evidence is “infallible” or that it has a “zero error rate.” He also indicated it's possible for DNA to be transported by a third party.
“If you had a lot of DNA on your hand, we shook hands and I went to pick up an exhibit, a gun, and I touched the trigger of it, your DNA could be on that trigger, right?” Burt asked Caitlin Oliver, a forensic biologist with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
“It is possible. Yes,” Oliver replied.
Experts say the science behind DNA testing is sound.
Chief Deputy Utah County Attorney Chad Grunander questioned the relevance of bringing in Oliver as a witness. He suggested prosecutors already had met the burden of proof needed to advance the case to trial.
“Your honor's heard four days of testimony now. The evidence is overwhelming. It’s devastating," Grunander said.
Robinson has not entered a plea. He turned himself in a day after the fatal shooting of Kirk, a close ally of President Donald Trump credited with helping galvanize young voters for the Republican in the 2024 election.
Kirk’s family released a statement shortly after court ended, expressing gratitude for the support and prayers offered to them. They said the preliminary hearing “marks an important step forward in the pursuit of justice for Charlie.”
“As difficult as these last few days have been, it brings our family comfort to know that the world has witnessed the overwhelming evidence of what occurred to Charlie that day,” the statement said.
The video that prosecutors said showed Robinson allegedly running across the roof at Utah Valley University was played for the court gallery at the request of Kirk's family. Portions of the recording were zoomed in to better show the figure on the roof, and red circles were added to some images. An unaltered version of that video was shown earlier.
Prosecutors on Thursday aired portions of an April 20 interview with Robinson's roommate, Lance Twiggs, who was Robinson's romantic partner. The day after Kirk was shot in the neck, Robinson allegedly told Twiggs “he wishes he hadn’t done it,” a recording played in court revealed.
Later that same day — and only about an hour before turning himself in — Robinson posted “it was me at UVU yesterday,” in a chat room on the Discord social media platform, according to investigators and messages shown by prosecutors.
Defense attorneys unsuccessfully fought the public release of the statements from Twiggs and the chat room messages. They argued prosecutors would characterize the material as a confession, undermining Robinson’s right to a fair trial.
Prosecutors contend the shooting endangered others at Kirk’s campus event — an aggravating circumstance that could make the crime punishable by death under Utah law. Robinson faces possible sentence enhancements based on claims by prosecutors that he targeted Kirk because of his political views.
Twiggs said in the April interview with prosecutors and investigators that Robinson sometimes talked about politics, including Trump. But Twiggs said he never heard Robinson talk about Kirk before the shooting. The defendant also did not talk much about gender issues or LGBTQ rights, Twiggs said.
The weeklong preliminary hearing attracted intense media coverage and spectators who have angled for one of the 14 seats in the courtroom that are reserved for the public.
People lined up early — sometimes sleeping there overnight — in hopes of getting in.
Preliminary hearings typically don’t last so long, according to legal experts. They said the slow pace reflects in part a cautious approach by Graf and the large volume of evidence from prosecutors.
Conjecture over that evidence fueled unsubstantiated conspiracy theories that there might have been a second shooter or that Kirk's death was staged.
“There have been various bizarre theories circulated about this case. I think that the prosecution wanted to dispel those theories by putting out into the public record the overwhelming case that it possesses against Robinson,” said Paul Cassell, a law professor at the University of Utah and former federal judge.
Brown reported from Billings, Montana.
Defense attorney Michael Burt and Kathryn Nester, left, leave the fourth judicial District courthouse where a preliminary hearing for Tyler Robinson, the Utah man accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk, took place, in Provo, Utah, Friday, July 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)
Fourth District Court Judge Tony Graf speaks during a preliminary hearing for Tyler Robinson, the Utah man accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk, at the 4th District Court in Provo, Utah, Friday, July 10, 2026. (Tess Crowley/The Deseret News via AP, Pool)
Tyler Robinson, accused in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, listens as Deputy Utah County Attorney Ryan McBride speaks during a preliminary hearing at the 4th District Court in Provo, Utah, Friday, July 10, 2026. (Tess Crowley/The Deseret News via AP, Pool)
A woman sleeps outside the courthouse hoping to get access to the limited public seating available at a preliminary hearing for Tyler Robinson, the Utah man accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk, in Provo, Utah, Friday, July 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)
Defense attorney Michael Burt arrives at the preliminary hearing for Tyler Robinson, the Utah man accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk, in Provo, Utah, Friday, July 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)
law enforcement monitors the parking lot outside the fourth judicial District courthouse where a preliminary hearing for Tyler Robinson, the Utah man accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk, in Provo, Utah, Friday, July 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)
A law enforcement officer uses binoculars to watch from the roof of the Fourth District Courthouse in Provo, Utah, Thursday, July 9, 2026, before a preliminary hearing for Tyler Robinson, who is accused in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk. (AP Photo/Spenser Heaps)
Tyler Robinson, who is accused in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, listens during a preliminary hearing at the Fourth District Courthouse in Provo, Utah, Thursday, July 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Spenser Heaps, Pool)
A video interview with Lance Twiggs, Tyler Robinson's roommate and reported romantic partner, is shown during a preliminary hearing for Tyler Robinson, who is accused in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, at the Fourth District Courthouse in Provo, Utah, Thursday, July 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Spenser Heaps, Pool)
Charlie Kirk's parents, Kathryn, and Robert Kirk, right, arrive at the Fourth District Courthouse in Provo, Utah, for a hearing for Tyler Robinson, accused in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, Thursday, July 9, 2026 (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)
