Today, the football statistics company Opta's supercomputer predicted a 59.3% chance of Spain winning within 90 minutes.

Belgium's chance of victory was 18.3%, with a possibility of extra time at 22.4%.

Including the chances of reaching the semifinals through extra time and penalties, Spain led significantly with a 69.5% probability.

Another prediction model, SM, also forecasted the most likely scores as 1-0 or 2-1 in favor of Spain.

Ultimately, the match was much more intense than expected, but the winner was Spain, just as predicted.

And the score was indeed 2-1, with Spain emerging victorious, proving that the supercomputer is more reliable than a fortune teller.

Spain succeeded in reaching the semifinals by defeating Belgium 2-1 with a dramatic last-minute goal from Mikel Merino in the 88th minute.

Notably, Merino also scored the winning goal in the extra time against Portugal in the Round of 16.

After being substituted in two consecutive matches, he scored the decisive goal, earning him the title of the tournament's best 'super sub.'

The scene of the winning goal was dramatic. Merino, who was substituted in the 86th minute, saved the team just two minutes after coming on.

Belgium's goalkeeper Senne Lammens failed to properly catch a long-range shot from Pau Cubarsi, and Merino pushed the loose ball into the net, sealing the victory.

After the match, Merino smiled and said, "This happened again. If you are prepared and never give up, opportunities will definitely come," unable to hide his joy.

Belgium was by no means a weak opponent in this match. In fact, they were one of the teams that showed the most explosive attacking power throughout the tournament.

In the Round of 16 against the USA, they won decisively with a score of 4-1, emerging as a strong contender for the championship, and they scored an impressive 13 goals in five matches during this tournament.

Especially, Kevin De Bruyne returned to the starting lineup, and Charles De Ketelaere maintained good form, shaking Spain's defense multiple times.

In fact, Spain had not conceded a single goal in the tournament before this match.

However, that record was finally broken when De Ketelaere scored a header to equalize in the second half.

It was a disappointing moment for Spain, but they maintained their focus until the end of the match, and ultimately, Merino's last-minute goal decided the outcome.

With this victory, Spain extended their unbeaten streak to 37 matches since March 2023.

On the other hand, Belgium's unbeaten record of 18 matches came to an end on this day. An impressive international record.

Now, Spain's next opponent is France.

France joined the semifinals after defeating Morocco 2-0 in the quarterfinals held a day earlier.

Kylian Mbappé missed a penalty kick early in the match but later scored the winning goal, making up for his mistake.

Ultimately, this World Cup semifinal has become the highly anticipated big match that many football fans were looking forward to.

Spain's young attacking line led by Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams will clash head-on with France's powerful attack centered around Mbappé.

Both teams are considered championship contenders, leading to the assessment that this is essentially a final match.

Interestingly, the prediction of the supercomputer in this quarterfinal was once again proven to be more than just a numbers game.

Opta predicted Spain's advantage, and the actual winner was indeed Spain.

Now, the only remaining question is whether Spain, who is on an unbeaten streak, can overcome France and return to the top of the world for the first time in 16 years since the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, or if Mbappé's France will reach the final stage once again.