In one of the most anticipated games of the entire tournament, Dallas was painted red and yellow as Spain defeated France for the third straight time in three years, 2-0, to advance to its first World Cup final since winning it all in 2010.
Despite France boasting the tournament’s best attacking unit, with 16 goals and captain Kylian Mbappé leading the line with eight goals and three assists, it was ultimately extinguished by La Roja, as the Spaniards controlled the game from start to finish in a tactical masterclass.
Spain struck its first blow in the 20th minute, when Lucas Digne tried to clear a cross from Marc Cucurella, but instead struck Lamine Yamal in the leg, leading to a penalty for La Roja that Mikel Oyarzabal calmly slotted past French goalkeeper Mike Maignan two minutes later for his fifth goal of the tournament.
It soon went from bad to worse for Les Bleus when star center-back William Saliba had to be subbed off in the 30th minute due to a back injury. From there, France never seemed to gain a grip on the match, as Spain’s passing and midfield superiority were too much to handle.
And the game was effectively sealed in the 58th minute of the second half, when Pedro Porro played a give-and-go pass with Dani Olmo before side-footing his shot past Maigan to double the lead for La Roja and hold on for the win.
Spain now heads to their second-ever World Cup Final, where they will face either England or Argentina, while France will play for third place.
Delivered by Sean Paul
