Spain reached the World Cup final for the first time since 2010 after beating France 2-0 in a commanding semi-final display at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday.
Mikel Oyarzabal opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 22nd minute after Lamine Yamal drew a foul from Lucas Digne inside the box. Oyarzabal sent goalkeeper Mike Maignan the wrong way to give Spain the lead.
Pedro Porro doubled Spain’s advantage in the 58th minute. The right-back finished a swift give-and-go with Dani Olmo, slipping past France’s defense before firing home from close range.
Spain nearly added a third soon after when Yamal curled a fine finish past Maignan, but the goal was ruled out for offside.
France’s night took an early hit when defender William Saliba went off injured in the 29th minute and was replaced by Maxence Lacroix. Adrien Rabiot picked up a yellow card in the ninth minute, and Marc Cucurella was booked for Spain shortly before the half-hour mark. Kylian Mbappe received a late caution in the 85th minute as France pushed forward in search of a way back into the match.
France managed just 10 shots all night, only three of which hit the target, and struggled to create clear chances against a Spanish defense that has now conceded only once across the entire tournament. Spain also became the first team in World Cup history to keep six clean sheets at a single edition.
The result ends France’s hopes of reaching a third straight World Cup final, having played in the 2018 and 2022 showpieces. It also marks the team’s first defeat of the tournament.
Spain, coached by Luis de la Fuente, will face the winner of the Argentina-England semi-final in Sunday’s final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Didier Deschamps’ France side will play in Saturday’s third-place match instead.
Mbappe had entered the semi-final with eight goals, level with Lionel Messi at the top of the race for the tournament’s Golden Boot award.
