FIFA WC
Spain cruise past France to storm into FIFA World Cup 2026 final with clinical 2-0 victory
Spain delivered an accomplished performance to defeat France 2-0 in the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final at Dallas Stadium, securing a place in Sunday's final.
Goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro ensured La Roja advanced to the title decider, where they will face the winners of the second semi-final between England and Argentina at New York New Jersey Stadium.
Spain take control with clinical first-half display
France entered the match as slight favourites, but Spain quickly settled into their rhythm and controlled large spells of the contest through disciplined defending and efficient attacking play.
Lamine Yamal, who celebrated his 19th birthday a day earlier, created Spain's first major opportunity after stealing the ball ahead of Lucas Digne before being brought down inside the penalty area.
Oyarzabal calmly converted the resulting penalty in the 22nd minute, sending goalkeeper Mike Maignan the wrong way to give Spain the lead.
Spain doubled their advantage in the 58th minute through Pedro Porro.
The defender exchanged passes with Dani Olmo before finishing confidently into the bottom corner to put Luis de la Fuente's side firmly in command.
France unable to break through Spanish defence
France attempted to mount a comeback after Didier Deschamps introduced Desire Doue and Rayan Cherki, but Spain's defence remained organised throughout the second half.
Goalkeeper Unai Simón performed effectively as a sweeper-keeper whenever France threatened, while Marc Cucurella produced a crucial challenge to deny Kylian Mbappé a clear opportunity.
Spain restricted Les Bleus to limited clear-cut chances before seeing out the match to seal a deserved victory and progress to the final.
The result means France will now compete in the third-place play-off on July 18 local time (July 19 in India).
Spain close in on another World Cup title
Spain will now aim to win their second FIFA World Cup title after lifting the trophy for the first time in 2010, when Andres Iniesta scored the winning goal against the Netherlands in Johannesburg.
La Roja have impressed throughout the tournament with a balanced combination of defensive solidity and attacking efficiency.
Key statistics
According to FIFA, Oyarzabal has scored 18 goals in his last 20 appearances for Spain.
His successful penalty also made him the sixth player to reach 30 international goals for the national team, joining David Villa (59), Raul (44), Fernando Torres (38), Alvaro Morata (37) and David Silva (35).
Spain have also recorded six clean sheets in seven matches during the tournament, conceding only two goals in North America.
FIFA noted that the lowest number of goals conceded by a World Cup-winning team remains two, a record jointly held by France (1998), Italy (2006) and Spain (2010).
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