# Spain Downs France 2-0 to Reach Second World Cup Final in Program History
**DALLAS** — Spain punched its ticket to just its second World Cup final in program history on Tuesday night, dismantling a heavily favored France side 2-0 in the tournament’s opening semifinal at Dallas Stadium. Goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro sent La Furia Roja through, while goalkeeper Unai Simon and a stout defensive unit silenced a French attack that had been one of the most explosive in the competition.
The result marks a stunning turn of events for Les Bleus, who arrived in Dallas having cruised through the knockout stages behind the firepower of Kylian Mbappe and company. Instead, France was shut out for the first time all summer, and its bid for a third consecutive World Cup final appearance came to an abrupt end.
## Penalty Opens the Floodgates
Spain, unchanged from its quarterfinal lineup, wasted little time asserting control. In the 19th minute, referees pointed to the spot after left-back Lucas Digne mistimed a clearance attempt and instead clattered into winger Lamine Yamal. Despite the contact, Digne escaped without a caution — a decision that will likely draw scrutiny given how costly the sequence proved to be.
Oyarzabal made no mistake from 12 yards, sending goalkeeper Mike Maignan the wrong way to open the scoring and notch his fifth goal of the tournament, cementing his status as one of the competition’s top performers.
France’s misfortune compounded moments later when center-back William Saliba went down clutching his back and had to be substituted in the 30th minute, replaced by Maxence Lacroix. Saliba, who had managed lingering back problems throughout the tournament while anchoring one of the sport’s premier defensive pairings alongside Dayot Upamecano, could not push through at the moment his side needed him most.
## Spain Dominates Possession and Chances
By halftime, the numbers told the story of a lopsided affair. Spain finished the opening 45 minutes with nearly a full expected goal off five shot attempts, controlling 56 percent of possession as Rodri pulled the strings from midfield. France, by contrast, managed just two shots and a negligible expected-goals tally, never threatening Simon’s goal in any meaningful way. Fabian Ruiz also came close to doubling Spain’s lead before the break with a slick team move built on trademark tiki-taka passing.
The second half brought no reprieve for France. In the 58th minute, Spain extended its advantage through a sharp combination on the right flank. Porro linked with Dani Olmo in the half-space, received the ball back, and calmly finished to make it 2-0 — a goal that effectively ended any hope of a French comeback.
Yamal appeared to add insult to injury late in the match, slipping behind Digne to beat Maignan, but the goal was overturned for a tight offside call. It hardly mattered. Spain saw out the remainder of the contest comfortably, rarely allowing France’s vaunted attack any rhythm or sustained pressure.
## A Historic Moment for Spanish Football
The victory sends Spain back to the World Cup final for the first time since 2010, when the team defeated the Netherlands in extra time for its lone title in the tournament’s history. Manager Luis de la Fuente, who guided the squad to an unbeaten run through the 2024 UEFA European Championship, now has a chance to extend that streak on the sport’s biggest stage.
It has been a remarkable run for Spain, which opened this World Cup with a surprising scoreless draw against Cape Verde — a result that ironically helped launch the small island nation’s own historic tournament run. Since then, La Furia Roja have tightened up defensively in dramatic fashion, conceding just a single goal all summer, in a 2-1 quarterfinal win over Belgium.
Spain will now await the winner of Wednesday’s second semifinal in Atlanta between England and Argentina to determine its opponent for Sunday’s championship match. France, meanwhile, will face the loser of that clash in Saturday’s third-place game, a consolation fixture that does little to soften the blow of a semifinal exit that few saw coming given the team’s dominant form heading into Dallas.
For Spain, the message was clear: after years of near-misses and rebuilding, the road to a second World Cup title now runs through one final match.