In a dominant World Cup semi-final showdown at Arlington, Texas’ AT&T Stadium on Tuesday, Spain delivered a clinical masterclass to end France’s bid for a third world title, securing a 2-0 victory that advances the European champions to the tournament final, where they will face the winner of Wednesday’s England-Argentina clash.
Didier Deschamps’ French side entered the match as overwhelming favorites, riding a wave of electrifying attacking performances through the knockout stage. But they were outmatched by a sharp, disciplined Spanish side that held firm against their star-studded forward line and capitalized on key opportunities to seal the win.
The turning point came in the first half, when Salvadoran referee Ivan Barton awarded Spain a penalty after France left-back Lucas Digne committed a reckless challenge on Spanish teenage winger Lamine Yamal. Mikel Oyarzabal, in red-hot club and international form, converted the spot kick emphatically past France goalkeeper Mike Maignan, notching his fifth goal of the tournament and putting France behind for the first time at this year’s World Cup. The goal marked the Real Sociedad forward’s 18th in his last 20 appearances for Spain, underlining his status as Spain’s breakout attacking threat.
Deschamps made an early attacking substitution in the 57th minute, bringing on Desire Doue to reinvigorate his forward line which featured Kylian Mbappe, Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise. Just 60 seconds later, however, Spain extended their lead through a well-crafted team goal, as Dani Olmo teed up defender Pedro Porro to slot home the second goal, putting the match out of France’s reach.
Shell-shocked by the rapid turnaround, France never managed to mount a consistent comeback, capping a deeply disappointing day for the two-time World Cup winners who reached the final in both 2018 and 2022. For Spain, the result adds yet another milestone to an already historic run: La Roja have conceded only one goal across the entire tournament, becoming the first side in men’s World Cup history to record six consecutive clean sheets at a single edition. Their unbeaten streak across all competitions now stretches to 37 matches, equaling the all-time record for a European men’s national team.
After the match, Spanish head coach Luis de la Fuente credited his squad’s cohesive team culture for the historic run, noting that the group had stayed loyal to the playing philosophy the staff implemented nearly four years prior. “These players deserve everything,” he said. “Day after day they’ve shown their commitment, their solidarity, their generosity, their talent. They make the difficult look easy.”
For Deschamps, the defeat brings an underwhelming end to his 14-year tenure in charge of France, with only a third-place play-off match remaining before he steps down. The 57-year-old, who won the World Cup as both a player and a coach, said his squad was “devastated” by the result, accepting responsibility for the loss while stopping short of blaming his players. He did, however, question the officiating of referee Barton, saying: “Is the referee at the level required to officiate a World Cup semi-final? I’m not saying this just because we lost today. There were quite a few situations. There were some favourable calls, too,” he added, without elaborating further.
Attention now turns to Wednesday’s second semi-final in Atlanta, where long-time rivals England and Argentina will face off for a spot in the final. The fixture carries decades of historical weight, coming 40 years after Diego Maradona’s infamous “Hand of God” goal eliminated England from the 1986 World Cup, with tensions also shaped by the long-running sovereignty dispute over the Falkland Islands (known as the Malvinas in Argentina).
England captain Harry Kane, who is in contention for the tournament Golden Boot alongside Lionel Messi and Mbappe, said his side would not be distracted by the off-pitch history. “From a player’s point of view it’s us against a great team, who are smart, who are tactical, who know how to buy fouls, know how to slow the game down — like many different teams you come up against throughout your whole career,” Kane told ITV.