In a high-stakes showdown held Tuesday in Arlington, Texas, Spain delivered a masterful performance to defeat France 2-0, securing their place in Sunday's World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. This victory marks only the second time in history that Spain has reached a World Cup final, with their previous appearance resulting in a championship title in 2010. The Spaniards now await the winner of Wednesday's second semifinal match between defending champion Argentina and England.
Spain established their dominance early in the 22nd minute when Mikel Oyarzabal converted a penalty kick. The scoring opportunity was initiated by teenager Lamine Yamal, who made a heady play to draw a foul. The incident occurred when French defender Lucas Digne attempted to collect the ball after an awkward bounce; Yamal, celebrating his 19th birthday just one day prior, raced in from behind to challenge. As Digne attempted to clear the ball, he kicked Yamal, resulting in the penalty. This goal served as Oyarzabal's fifth of the current tournament and his 30th goal in 60 international appearances for Spain. Notably, it was the first time in seven games during this tournament that France had trailed.
The Spanish lead doubled in the 58th minute following a crisp give-and-go sequence between defender Pedro Porro and Dani Olmo. Shortly after that second goal, Yamal was denied a goal of his own due to a close offside call. Reflecting on the team's success, Porro emphasized the collective spirit of the squad, stating, "We gave it our all in order just to go through to the final. We knew that we're a very tough team, we're doing things really well. This is our team, it's not about me." Yamal had previously expressed confidence in the team's ability to intimidate France following a quarterfinal win over Belgium.
The defeat ends France's ambition to reach their third consecutive World Cup final, having won the tournament in 2018 and finished as runners-up to Argentina four years ago. France is now set to play in the third-place match on Saturday in Miami Gardens, Florida. This result continues a trend of dominance for Spain, marking the third consecutive summer they have eliminated France in a tournament semifinal, including a 2-1 win in the 2024 European Championship and a 5-4 victory in Nations League play last year.
Defensively, Spain proved impenetrable, with goalkeeper Unai Simón securing his sixth shutout of the tournament, having allowed only one goal across seven matches. France, which had allowed only two goals in its first six games, struggled to break through. Kylian Mbappé, who had been in a tight race for the Golden Boot with Argentina's Lionel Messi, started the match after recovering from an injury that forced him out of the quarterfinal against Morocco. Spain’s current run has extended their unbeaten streak in regular time to 37 matches—comprising 28 wins and nine draws—since March 2024, breaking their previous record of 35 consecutive games set between 2007 and 2009. The loss also snapped France's record-matching streak of six consecutive World Cup wins.
