Spain secures 2-0 victory over France to reach World Cup final
Spain has advanced to the World Cup final after defeating France 2-0 in a semi-final match held in Dallas. Goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro secured the win for the European champions, who will now face either England or Argentina in the final on Sunday.
The highly anticipated semi-final clash featured two of the tournament’s top teams, but France‘s performance was described as lacklustre. Spain, demonstrating comprehensive strength, managed to score in each half of the match.
Key Moments in Dallas
The opening goal came in the 22nd minute when Mikel Oyarzabal converted a penalty. The penalty was awarded after Lucas Digne fouled Lamine Yamal as he attempted to clear the ball from the France box. This early lead set the tone for Spain‘s control over the game.
France faced an early setback when William Saliba was forced off due to injury in the 30th minute, with Maxence Lacroix coming on as his replacement. Despite a brilliant move by Spain in the 38th minute, which saw Dani Olmo backheel the ball for Lamine Yamal, Fabian Ruiz‘s subsequent effort was blocked for a corner.
Pedro Porro extended Spain‘s lead in the 58th minute, slotting in their second goal after exchanging passes with Dani Olmo. This goal solidified Spain‘s advantage and left France with a significant challenge to overcome. Lamine Yamal also had a goal disallowed for being narrowly offside in the 61st minute.
France struggled offensively throughout the match, managing only two shots, none of which were on target, by the time Porro scored. Michael Olise, the World Cup‘s top creator, was substituted in the 72nd minute after an ineffective performance, creating only two chances and failing to complete either of his two dribbles. Ferran Torres missed a headed chance for Spain in the 79th minute, and an error by Unai Simon in the 81st minute was not capitalized on by Desire Doue.
Spain‘s coach, Luis de la Fuente, expressed confidence in his team, stating that they faced one of the best national teams in the world but had the best team in the world in front of them. He praised his players for their commitment, solidarity, generosity, and talent, noting their ability to make difficult tasks appear easy.
France’s Disappointing Performance
France‘s attack, featuring joint-top scorer Kylian Mbappe and top assist-maker Michael Olise, failed to perform. Kylian Mbappe was effectively contained, and other attackers, including Ballon d’Or holder Ousmane Dembele, were blunted by Spain‘s defence. The team’s inability to generate significant attacking threats was a key factor in their defeat.
Coach Didier Deschamps attributed the loss primarily to technical errors, acknowledging that his team was below its usual technical level against a Spain side that controlled the game. He noted that France was not as dangerous in attack as they could have been and made technical errors on passes that might have led to scoring chances.
This semi-final exit means France will now play in a third-place play-off on Saturday. This outcome marks an underwhelming conclusion to Didier Deschamps‘ 14-year tenure as coach.
For Spain, this victory extends their unbeaten run to 37 matches across all competitions, a joint-record for a European nation. They had previously defeated France in the semi-finals on their way to their European Championship success two summers prior and again in the Nations League semi-finals in 2025. Luis de la Fuente‘s side is now positioned to potentially achieve a Euros-World Cup double, a feat Spain last accomplished at the 2010 World Cup.
The starting line-up for France saw midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni return after a two-game absence, and Bradley Barcola was recalled to start on the left flank. Barcola joined Michael Olise in the centre, Ousmane Dembele on the right, and captain Kylian Mbappe as the striker. Spain, conversely, maintained an unchanged starting line-up from their 2-1 quarter-final victory against Belgium. Fabian Ruiz started ahead of Pedri in midfield, partnering with Rodri. Lamine Yamal took his usual position on the right wing, with Alex Baena on the opposite flank and Dani Olmo behind striker Mikel Oyarzabal.
Spain will compete in the final on Sunday.
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Source: skysports.com
