Spain defeats France 2-0 to reach FIFA World Cup final

Spain defeats France 2-0 to reach FIFA World Cup final

Spain secured a place in the FIFA World Cup final for the first time since 2010 with a 2-0 victory over France on Tuesday, July 14, at Dallas Stadium. The European champions neutralized a potent French attack to advance to their second final in history, where they will seek a second title.

The breakthrough came in the 22nd minute when Mikel Oyarzabal converted a penalty. The spot-kick was awarded after Lucas Digne fouled Lamine Yamal during a clearance attempt. Oyarzabal, who is making his debut World Cup appearance, scored his fifth goal of the tournament with a shot into the right corner that Mike Maignan could not stop.

Spain maintained control through a disciplined defensive effort and a dominant midfield. Pedro Porro doubled the lead in the 58th minute, drilling a shot into the near corner following a one-two interplay with Dani Olmo. Olmo's assist tied him with Cesc Fabregas for the most assists by a Spanish player at major tournaments since 1980, totaling eight.

France struggled to create meaningful opportunities. Despite a star-studded lineup featuring Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembele, and Michael Olise, Les Bleus did not record their first shot on target until the 82nd minute. Their most significant threat arrived in the 67th minute when a shot from Mbappé was deflected by Marc Cucurella just wide of the left post.

Spain's defense limited France to three shots on target throughout the match. Lamine Yamal, who celebrated his 19th birthday on Monday, nearly added a third goal, but the effort was ruled out for being marginally offside. The victory marks Spain's third consecutive semi-final win over France, following a 2-1 victory at Euro 2024 and a 5-4 win in the 2025 Nations League.

For France, the loss signals the end of an era. Coach Didier Deschamps will step down after the tournament, concluding his tenure as manager in the third-place play-off on Saturday. Deschamps remains the only man to win the World Cup as both a captain, in 1998, and a manager, in 2018.

Following the match, Deschamps expressed disappointment, stating Spain showed that they are playing at a different level and admitting we were too weak in attack. He also questioned whether referee Iván Barton was up to the task to referee a semi-final, though he later backtracked, asking reporters to look at the match themselves.

Mbappé took responsibility as captain, noting that France let the Spanish midfield have too much time to play and failed to disrupt their tempo. Rayan Cherki added that the team was beaten technically, we were beaten tactically, we were beaten in the duels.

The Spanish victory was anchored by the midfield pairing of Rodri and Fabian Ruiz. According to reports, only Aymeric Laporte touched the ball more than Ruiz, while only Laporte and Rodri completed more passes. Coach Luis de la Fuente praised his squad's commitment, stating these players deserve everything.

Spain will face either title holders Argentina or England in the final on Sunday, July 19, at the New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford. The Argentina and England semi-final is scheduled for Wednesday, July 15, in Atlanta.

Before the match on Tuesday, a minute of silence was observed to commemorate the victims of a terror attack in Nice from 10 years ago.