France 0-2 Spain

European champions Spain reached the final of the World Cup by defeating poor France 2-0 in Dallas.

The semi-final showdown between two of the tournament’s favorites and standout sides was eagerly anticipated – but France didn’t show.

As bad as France were, Spain showed their all-round strength to book their place in Sunday’s final, where they will face England or world champions Argentina in the Euro 2024 final.

While Les Bleus’ other attackers, including Kylian Mbappe and Ballon d’Or holder Ousmane Dembele, were blunted, Spain struck in each half. Mikel Warzabal scored the penalty after Lucas Digne tried to clear the ball by kicking Lamine Yamal.

France had just two shots and neither on target when Porro hit the net and they were unable to produce any Bastille Day fireworks in the final stages to give Spain a scare. World Cup top scorer Michael Ollis was subbed off on 72 minutes, summarizing how badly their attack had failed.

A third-place play-off awaits them on Saturday – an overwhelming end to Didier Deschamps’ 14-year tenure.

But Spain rolled on. They beat France in the semi-finals two summers en route to their European Championship success and repeated the trick in the Nations League semi-finals in 2025. That makes it three of a kind – and Spain are now unbeaten in their last 37 matches, a joint-record for a European nation.

Luis de la Fuente’s side are now set to repeat Spain’s Euro-World Cup double at the 2010 World Cup. They are going to make some stops in New York/New Jersey.

De la Fuente called Spain ‘the best team in the world’

spain the boss Luis de la Fuente: “We started with an idea about four years ago and we stayed true to that idea and it brought us here. Today we faced one of the best national teams in the world, but they had the best team in the world in front of them. That’s different.

“These players deserve everything – day after day they have shown their commitment, their solidarity, their generosity, their talent. They make the difficult easy.”

Moments in Dallas…

22: Goal! Warzabal awarded Spain a penalty after kicking Digne Lamine Yamal as he tried to clear the ball outside the France box.

30: Hurt! William Saliba was forced off with an injury and was replaced by Maxence Lacroix

38: Off! A great move from Spain resulted in Dani Olmo slotting the ball into the box for Lamine Yamal. He crosses instead of shoots and Fabian Ruiz’s effort is blocked wide for a corner.

58: Goal! Pedro Porro exchanges passes and slots with Spain’s second-placed Dani Olmo.

61: There is no goal! Lamine Yamal breaks and hits the net but narrowly offside.

72: Sub! The ineffective Michael Ollis is hooked. He came into the game with five assists this World Cup but created just two chances and failed to complete either of his two dribbles.

79: Miss! Ferran Torres sends in a superb headed chance as Spain look for a third.

81: Error! Unai Simon rushes out of his area but sends his head clearance to Dzire Du – but it’s a poor effort from the sub who hits his shot at the scrambling keeper.

Analysis: France fail to show their best when it matters

Sky Sports’ Peter Smith:

“Through this World Cup, France looked like a team that had it all. The fab four-man frontline was brilliant, creating moments of joy and magic to watch. Their defense was strong, with clean sheets in each of their three knockout games up to this point. They also carried enormous strength in depth.

“This squad was the envy of other countries at the World Cup. But on the big day, they were a shadow of themselves.

“France fans in the stands looked dejected but Bastille Day celebrations back home would fall flat as fans watched this painful performance from afar.

“The lackluster first-half display rang alarm bells but there was always the feeling that this France team could turn it on when it mattered. They often went ahead in the second half. But they couldn’t sustain the intensity in the air-conditioned stadium in Dallas until the last minute.

“As good as Spain was, this was a match where France failed to fire when everyone was expecting them to show their strength.”

Deschamps blamed a technical error

France the boss Didier Deschamps: “The players are devastated because we had high ambitions, although we have to admit that today we were technically well below our usual level, facing a team that really had a handle on the game.

“It’s primarily our own fault. We fell short and weren’t as dangerous in attack as we could have been, making some technical errors in passes that could have created scoring opportunities. That’s the reality of the elite level, even if it hurts.”

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