World Cup: Mbappé And France To Make Do With 3rd Place Match As Spain Win 2-0
European champions Spain have defeated 2022 finalists France to take their place in the final.
Spain sprung their FIFA World Cup 2026 surprise by beating France 2-0 in the semi-final on Tuesday (14 July), with Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro scoring for La Roja.
Kylian Mbappé, who is still leading the Golden Boot competition, and his France side couldn’t find the back of the net as Spain advanced to the final, where they will meet either Argentina or England, who meet in the other semi-final on Wednesday (15 July).
Goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro earned Spain a deserved 2-0 win over France at Dallas Stadium in their FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final.
This win on soccer’s biggest stage marked the third summer in a row that Spain beat France in a tournament semifinal match.
Yamal scored in a 2-1 win in the 2024 European Championship semifinals just days before his 17th birthday, and La Roja won 5-4 in Nations League play last year.
Oyarzabal’s penalty kick in the 22nd minute came after Yamal drew a foul when kicked by defender Lucas Digne.
After a poor first touch with his head, Digne was trying to clear the ball when Yamal raced in from behind to challenge in the penalty area.
The ball hit off the elbow of the leaping teen before he was kicked by Digne, playing in his 63rd game for France only six days before his 33rd birthday.
Oyarzabal’s fifth goal of this year’s World Cup marked the first time either team has trailed in their seven games in this tournament.
It was his 30th goal in 60 international games for Spain.
Tuesday’s clash marked the 39th meeting between these two football giants, the first dating all the way back to 1922.
For all those encounters, however, this is somehow only the second time they were locking horns at the FIFA World Cup.
The last encounter on this stage was in 2006, when Les Bleus comfortably saw off La Roja 3-1 in the round of 16.
Spain now have 14 wins to France’s 18, with just seven draws contested in their history.
This is their second semi-final in as many years, meeting at this stage of the UEFA Nations League last year, which Spain won 5-4.
