Arlington. Texas. Spain produced a polished display to beat France 2-0 in the FIFA World Cup semi-final on Tuesday, setting up a meeting with either England or Argentina in Sunday’s final while ending the French side’s quest for a third world title.
France started brightly, with Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé looking to exploit space behind Spain’s defence, but it was the European champions who struck first after 22 minutes.
Teenage winger Lamine Yamal burst into the penalty area before being brought down by Lucas Digne, leaving the referee with little hesitation in pointing to the spot.
Mikel Oyarzabal calmly converted the penalty, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way to hand Spain a deserved 1-0 lead.
Yamal thought he had doubled the advantage moments later, only for the effort to be ruled out for offside.
Spain continued to dominate possession after the interval and doubled their lead in the 58th minute through Pedro Porro.
The full-back completed a slick passing move with Dani Olmo before firing past the French goalkeeper to cap an incisive attacking move that left France with a mountain to climb.
France attempted to respond by introducing fresh attacking options, but Spain’s disciplined defence, marshalled by Rodri and Marc Cucurella, largely neutralised Mbappé, Dembélé and Michael Olise.
The Spanish side recorded its sixth clean sheet in seven matches at the tournament, underlining its defensive solidity as well as its attacking efficiency.
The defeat ended France’s run after victories over Sweden, Paraguay and Morocco in the knockout stages.
Didier Deschamps’ side struggled to create clear chances and admitted afterwards that Spain had been the superior team on the night.
Spain, who have now extended their unbeaten competitive run to 38 matches, progressed to their first World Cup final since lifting the trophy in South Africa in 2010.
They will face the winner of Wednesday’s second semi-final between England and Argentina, while France will contest Saturday’s third-place play-off.
