Spain have booked their place in Sunday’s World Cup final after a commanding 2-0 win over France in Tuesday’s semi-final in Dallas, silencing a French side many had tipped to go all the way.
France arrived at the game as favourites, boasting an attack led by Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise. But Luis de la Fuente’s Spain, unbeaten in a record-equalling 37 matches, extended their dominance with goals from Mikel Oyarzabal’s first-half penalty and a smart second-half finish from full-back Pedro Porro. France could only muster three shots on target all night.
Spain will now meet the winner of Wednesday’s clash between Argentina and England in Sunday’s final.
A Tournament Built On Grit And Control
Spain’s route to the final hasn’t exactly been smooth. They opened with a goalless draw against debutants Cape Verde, needed a 91st-minute winner to see off Portugal in the last 16, and scraped past Belgium in the quarter-finals with an 88th-minute goal. Against France, though, they were ruthless early, going 2-0 up inside an hour.
Pundits were quick to praise the performance. Former Premier League champion Chris Sutton said Spain had outclassed France despite the credit France had earned earlier in the tournament, while ex-Manchester United captain Roy Keane pointed to a lack of cohesion in the French side, contrasting it with Spain’s team-first approach. Former Arsenal winger Ian Wright echoed the sentiment, saying he was surprised by how comfortably Spain’s structure won out over France’s individual talent.
The Numbers Behind the Win
Spain’s unbeaten run of 37 games now matches Italy’s all-time record. They’ve also become the first side in World Cup history to record six clean sheets in a single tournament, and the low shot quality France managed — an expected-goals figure of just 0.3 — was the lowest by any nation in a World Cup semi-final since Brazil faced Sweden back in 1994.
Teenager Lamine Yamal continues to boast a remarkable individual record: he’s never lost with Spain, and across 12 World Cup and European Championship starts combined, he’s won every single one.
De la Fuente’s Long Game Pays Off
When De la Fuente took over as Spain boss in December 2022, he wasn’t a widely known name, having previously coached only the nation’s junior sides. Since then he’s delivered a Nations League title in 2023 and European Championship glory in 2024, and now a World Cup final. Several of his current squad — including Oyarzabal, Rodri, Mikel Merino and goalkeeper Unai Simon — played under him at youth level years before this tournament, and De la Fuente pointed to that shared history and team spirit as central to Spain’s success. He also revealed he received a congratulatory call from King Felipe VI after the final whistle.
Tactical Breakdown: How Spain Nullified France
Spain’s midfield trio of Fabian Ruiz, Rodri and Dani Olmo overwhelmed France’s two-man midfield, with Olmo’s deep-dropping runs from a free role creating a numerical advantage that France struggled to track. Spain also exploited France’s passive, zonal defensive setup out wide — repeatedly overloading the flanks with a winger and full-back combination. That’s exactly how the second goal came: Porro made a run beyond the ball that French winger Desire Doue failed to track, and Porro returned to finish the move himself after playing the initial pass.
Deschamps To Bow Out After Third-Place Playoff
France boss Didier Deschamps, in charge since 2012, will step down after Saturday’s third-place playoff against the losers of the Argentina-England semi-final. The match will also mark a record for Deschamps — his 26th World Cup game in charge, surpassing the previous record of 25 held jointly with former West Germany manager Helmut Schon. Deschamps said he was proud of what the team had achieved during his tenure, even though this wasn’t the ending he wanted. Former France defender Gael Clichy said Deschamps leaves a strong legacy, having lifted French football to the top, and suggested his successor will face a tough act to follow.
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