In a stunning upset that has shaken the men’s World Cup, European champions Spain delivered a near-perfect tactical performance to defeat pre-tournament favorites France 2-0 on Tuesday, ending Les Bleus’ quest for a third World Cup title and booking their place in the final. The match, played at Arlington, Texas’ AT&T Stadium, saw Spain take a first-half lead from a Mikel Oyarzabal penalty before Pedro Porro’s clinical second-half strike sealed the win, cementing one of the most memorable semi-final results of this year’s tournament.
Spain, the 2010 World Cup champions, will now face the winner of the other semi-final between Argentina and England in Sunday’s title decider at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium. France entered the semi-final as the overwhelming bookmakers’ pick to lift the trophy, having put together a run of dazzling, high-scoring performances to advance through the knockout stages. Their much-vaunted attacking quartet, led by captain Kylian Mbappé and 2023 Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé alongside Bradley Barcola and Michael Olise, was expected to tear through Spain’s defense. But the Spanish side combined controlled possession with physical intensity to completely neutralize France’s biggest attacking threat.
Spain had beaten France in their two previous competitive meetings, and head coach Luis de la Fuente’s side made good on their pre-match promise to take the game to Les Bleus from the opening whistle. The Spanish midfield, anchored by Manchester City star Rodri and supported by Fabian Ruiz and Dani Olmo, dominated from kickoff, outnumbering France’s central midfield duo of Adrien Rabiot and Aurélien Tchouaméni and controlling the tempo of the game through crisp, quick passing that left France chasing shadows.
French frustration began to bubble as early as the ninth minute, when Rabiot was yellow-carded for stepping on Olmo’s foot just outside the France penalty area. Despite Spain’s early territorial dominance, France carved out the first clear goalscoring chance in the 16th minute, when Mbappé broke clear into the box. Only a last-ditch block from teenage defender Pau Cubarsí stopped the French captain from equalizing.
Spain’s persistent pressure finally paid off in the 20th minute. Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal was fouled in the box after Aston Villa defender Lucas Digne, attempting to clear a Marc Cucurella cross, accidentally caught Yamal with a stray boot as he tried to clear the ball. Referee Ivan Barton, from El Salvador, immediately pointed to the spot, and Oyarzabal coolly converted the penalty, sending French goalkeeper Mike Maignan the wrong way to put Spain ahead.
France’s problems worsened just 11 minutes later, when star center-back William Saliba was forced to withdraw from the game with a muscle injury, replaced by Maxence Lacroix. Spain nearly doubled their lead eight minutes before halftime, when a sequence of sublime one-touch passing carved open France’s reorganized defense, only for Dayot Upamecano to block Fabian Ruiz’s goalbound effort on the line. France finished the first half with their best spell of possession, but Unai Simón, Spain’s goalkeeper, read Rabiot’s clever through ball to Mbappé perfectly and snuffed out the chance before the French captain could get a shot away.
Spain reclaimed full control of the match within minutes of the second half kickoff, as Didier Deschamps’ failure to adjust France’s tactical setup left the Spanish midfield unchallenged in the center of the park. In the 58th minute, Spain landed the decisive blow: Porro and Olmo combined for a sensational one-two on the edge of the penalty area that put the Tottenham Hotspur defender clean through on goal. Porro clipped a calm, precise finish past Maignan to double Spain’s lead, putting the match out of France’s reach.
Three minutes later, Spain thought they had a third, but Lamine Yamal’s finish was ruled out by a marginal offside call that spared France further embarrassment. Deschamps responded with a flurry of attacking substitutions in a bid to salvage the match, but Spain’s organized defense refused to let France break through. Mbappé, who was kept quiet for almost the entire 90 minutes, saw his best late chance blocked at the near post by Simón. In the closing minutes, Mbappé was booked for a late follow-through challenge on Simón, a moment that summed up France’s day of frustration.
For Spain, the result extends an incredible undefeated streak against France in competitive matches, and sets up a chance for the nation to win their first World Cup title since their 2010 triumph in South Africa.