Spain
BelgiumThe match turned twice on injury and circumstance rather than tactical superiority. Tielemans's warmup injury stripped Belgium of their captain and creative conductor before a ball was kicked. Courtois's second-half exit handed a backup goalkeeper a moment of maximum pressure at exactly the wrong instant. Between these two events, the match was genuinely competitive — Belgium the equal of Spain in territorial pressure and danger created — and Spain won not through domination but through the depth of a squad that has been in this situation, or one nearly identical, several times in this tournament.
Spain
Spain were not spectacular, but they were inevitable — the description that has followed this team all tournament. Fabián Ruiz opened the scoring in the 30th minute with composed precision, Belgium equalised through De Ketelaere's header before half-time, and Spain spent much of the second half probing with patience rather than urgency. When Merino arrived in the 86th minute and scored two minutes later off a Lammens parry, it felt entirely consistent with how this squad operates: substitute enters, match decided. The clean-sheet record was finally broken; everything else about Spain's method remained intact.
Belgium
Belgium produced their most competitive performance of the tournament against the worst possible opponent. Without Tielemans from the warmup due to injury, then losing Courtois to a second-half setback that brought on backup Lammens, they still pushed Spain harder than any side has managed all tournament. De Ketelaere's header was genuine quality; De Bruyne probed with menace as Belgium sought the lead in the second half. The margin was cruel: Lammens parried a Cubarsi shot in the 88th minute directly to the feet of the freshly-arrived Merino. Belgium leave with genuine achievement and an agonising ending.