Spain produced a masterclass to overwhelm pre-tournament favourites France 2-0 on Tuesday, booking a deserved place in the FIFA World Cup final with a commanding semi-final victory at Dallas Stadium.
Luis de la Fuente’s side combined defensive discipline with clinical finishing to outclass a France team packed with attacking stars, sealing their place in Sunday’s final with goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro.
Spain broke the deadlock midway through the first half after France defender Lucas Digne clumsily brought down Lamine Yamal inside the penalty area.
Oyarzabal calmly converted the resulting spot-kick, giving Spain the lead they rarely looked like surrendering.
The Euro 2024 champions tightened their grip on the contest after the break, frustrating every French attempt to find a way back.
Porro doubled the advantage with a composed finish after exchanging passes with Dani Olmo, leaving France with a mountain to climb.
Despite having more than 30 minutes to rescue the match, Didier Deschamps’ side found no answer to Spain’s superbly organised defence, which has now conceded only one goal throughout the tournament.
France failed to register a shot on target until the 81st minute as Rodri and Fabian Ruiz dominated midfield and dictated the tempo.
The defeat ends France’s bid to reach a third consecutive World Cup final and also marks the closing chapter of Deschamps’ 14-year reign, with the veteran coach set to step down after the tournament.
Les Bleus will now contest Saturday’s third-place play-off.
For Spain, the victory keeps alive hopes of winning a second World Cup title after their historic triumph in South Africa in 2010.
They will now head to New Jersey to face the winners of Wednesday’s semi-final between England and Argentina in Sunday’s final.
Once billed as a clash between France’s explosive attack and Spain’s resilient defence, the encounter proved remarkably one-sided.
Spain controlled proceedings from start to finish, underlining why they have emerged as the tournament’s most complete team at exactly the right moment.
