The reigning European champions booked their place in Sunday’s final in Arlington, Texas, where they will face either England or Argentina, while France must now turn their attention to the third-place playoff.
Didier Deschamps’ side entered the semifinal full of confidence after impressive knockout victories over Morocco, Sweden and Paraguay. Led by captain Kylian Mbappé, France were among the favourites to lift the trophy after another impressive World Cup campaign. However, they found Spain’s disciplined defence difficult to break down as the European champions controlled the contest from start to finish.
Spain took the lead midway through the first half after Salvadoran referee Ivan Barton awarded a penalty for a foul by France left-back Lucas Digne on teenage winger Lamine Yamal. Mikel Oyarzabal calmly converted the spot kick, beating goalkeeper Mike Maignan to score his fifth goal of the tournament.
France’s problems deepened shortly afterward when defender William Saliba was forced off with a recurrence of a lower back injury, disrupting an already difficult evening for Deschamps’ men.
Les Bleus struggled to create meaningful opportunities throughout the opening half, failing to register a shot on target as Spain dominated possession and dictated the tempo.
Seeking a response after the break, Deschamps introduced Desire Doue in an attempt to inject more attacking energy. But just moments later, Spain doubled their advantage with an excellent team move.
Dani Olmo combined neatly with Pedro Porro, who collected the return pass before calmly slotting the ball past Maignan to make it 2-0 and put Spain firmly in control.
Trailing by two goals, Deschamps introduced Theo Hernandez and Rayan Cherki in search of a comeback. Mbappé, who had inspired France throughout the tournament, was kept largely quiet by Spain’s well-organized defense and was unable to produce the moment of brilliance his side desperately needed.
Spain continued to defend resolutely, frustrating France’s star-studded attack. The European champions have now conceded just one goal throughout the tournament while combining defensive discipline with the creativity of players such as Yamal and Olmo.
The victory sends Spain into their first World Cup final since lifting the trophy in South Africa in 2010. They are now one win away from becoming the first champions of the expanded 48-team FIFA World Cup.
For France, the defeat ends their bid for a third World Cup title and denies Mbappé the opportunity to lead Les Bleus into a third consecutive World Cup final. The Real Madrid forward had once again been central to France’s impressive run, but he and fellow attacking stars Ousmane Dembélé and Michael Olise were effectively neutralised by Spain’s disciplined defensive display.
The defeat also marks the end of Didier Deschamps’ World Cup journey as France coach after 14 years in charge. Despite being eliminated from title contention, Les Bleus will remain in the tournament to contest Saturday’s third-place playoff against the loser of the second semifinal between England and Argentina. The winner of that match will claim the bronze medal.
Speaking after the match, Spain defender Pedro Porro described reaching the final as “a dream come true.”
“We knew that to get close to the final we needed to have the ball. We knew that countering their strengths was key, and we did that. So we’re really happy.”
Speaking after the match, Mbappe didn’t hide his frustration at France’s performance in the game.
“I don’t think we played the match we wanted to play – whether tactically, technically, or in terms of our overall performance level,” Mbappe told French broadcaster M6.
“And when you don’t do what you’re supposed to do in a World Cup semifinal, you don’t win.
“Our goal was to press them high up the pitch to prevent them from settling into that slow, controlled rhythm – because when it comes to controlling the game, they are better than us. We failed to do that,” the Real Madrid star added.
While France’s hopes of lifting the trophy are over, Mbappé and his teammates will still have one final opportunity to end their campaign on a positive note in the third-place playoff. The match will also mark France’s final World Cup appearance under Deschamps before a new era is expected to begin, with Zinedine Zidane widely tipped to succeed him as head coach.
Spain, meanwhile, will now focus on Sunday’s final, where they will attempt to win their second World Cup title and their first since 2010.
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