In a heavyweight showdown on Tuesday night, July 14, in Arlington, Texas, Spain put on a clinic and booked their ticket to the World Cup final with a composed 2-0 win over France.
The victory sends Spain to Sunday’s final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey — only their second-ever World Cup final appearance. They lifted the trophy back in 2010, and now they’ll get another shot. Their opponent? We’ll find out Wednesday, July 15, when defending champs Argentina take on England in the other semi.
Spain drew first blood in the 22nd minute. Teenage sensation Lamine Yamal, just a day after turning 19, showed his smarts by forcing a mistake in the box. As France defender Lucas Digne tried to control an awkward bounce, Yamal darted in from behind. Digne’s clearance attempt caught Yamal instead, and the referee pointed to the spot.
Mikel Oyarzabal stepped up and buried it. That was his fifth goal of the tournament, and it marked the first time either Spain or France had trailed in their seven World Cup games so far.
Spain doubled the lead in the 58th. Defender Pedro Porro timed his run perfectly and finished off a slick move with a tap-in past Mike Maignan to make it 2-0. From there, Spain’s control and shape did the rest, frustrating France all night.
The loss ends France’s bid for a third straight World Cup final. They won it all in 2018 and lost to Argentina on penalties in 2022. This time, they couldn’t find a way through.
Spain had an early chance too — Adrien Rabiot picked up a yellow for a foul on Dani Olmo in the 8th minute, giving Alex Baena a free kick just outside the box. But his effort slammed straight into the French wall.
Kylian Mbappé started for France after coming off in the 77th minute of their quarterfinal win over Morocco. He’d scored his eighth goal of the tournament against Morocco, putting him level with Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race.
Speaking of Messi: the 39-year-old Argentine legend sits on a World Cup record 21 career goals — just one ahead of 27-year-old Mbappé.
Spain now waits for Argentina or England on Sunday. After a performance like that in Arlington, they’ll head to New Jersey believing 2010 can happen all over again.
Who do you think takes the final — Spain vs Argentina or Spain vs England? Drop your predictions below.
