Spain smother France to reach the World Cup final
Oyarzabal's penalty and Pedro Porro's strike send La Roja to their first final since their 2010 triumph, an airtight defence stifling Mbappe's France.
Spain are back in the World Cup final. A composed, ruthless 2-0 win over France in Arlington on Tuesday carried La Roja to the showpiece for the first time since they lifted the trophy in 2010, and they did it in the manner that has defined their tournament: score early, then suffocate.
The breakthrough came in the 22nd minute. Lamine Yamal, a constant menace down the right, was hauled down in the box by Lucas Digne, and Mikel Oyarzabal stepped up to convert the penalty for his fifth goal of the tournament. It was the first time either side had trailed at any stage of the competition. Spain doubled the lead in the 58th, Pedro Porro exchanging passes with Dani Olmo before side-footing past Mike Maignan. Yamal thought he had a third but was flagged offside.
France's stars smothered
For all their firepower, Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise and Desire Doue barely threatened, held to a meagre 0.3 expected goals from ten shots. France's night grew harder when centre-back William Saliba limped off injured after half an hour. Spain, meanwhile, have conceded only one goal across the entire tournament, the defensive backbone of a side that has now drawn level with Italy's record of 37 matches unbeaten.
A rivalry firmly one-sided
This was a third straight win over France, after the Euro 2024 and 2025 Nations League semi-finals, denying the top-ranked side a third consecutive World Cup final. Spain now await the winner of England versus Argentina in Sunday's final at MetLife Stadium; France drop into Saturday's third-place game.
