Spain Upsets France and Advances to the Final

All good things come in threes—at least from Spain’s perspective: Just as they did two years ago in the European Championship semifinal (2–1) and a year ago in the Nations League semifinal (5–4), the Spaniards have once again come out on top against France in the World Cup semifinal—and on the Grande Nation’s National Day, of all days.

Two years ago, Lamine Yamal turned the tide in Spain’s favor with the equalizer—his first European Championship goal at the time—at not quite 17 years old. Now the FC Barcelona winger, who had been having a disappointing tournament up to that point, was instrumental in setting up the opening goal. On the day after his 19th birthday, about 20 minutes into the game, he stood out not for his technical finesse, but for his determination.

Digne's slip-up

While Lucas Digne, France’s left fullback, was trying to control a seemingly harmless cross with his head and then clear it, Yamal snuck up behind him and was struck by the French player, who was focused entirely on the ball. Mikel Oyarzabal confidently converted the resulting penalty for the Spanish team, which had not been particularly threatening on offense up to that point.

In hindsight, Luis de la Fuente’s team deserved to take the lead and even extended it thanks to Pedro Porro. Just shy of an hour into the game, after a give-and-go with Dani Olmo that left the entire French defense in disarray, the right fullback kept his cool in front of Mike Maignan and slotted the ball home to make it 2–0.

The Spaniards Are in Top Form

The French, who heading into the semifinals had the second-best offense with 16 goals—behind only Argentina (17)—couldn’t seem to get anything going. Having stormed through the tournament with six wins in six games, the Grande Nation, led by captain Kylian Mbappé, could find no way to break down the perfectly organized Spanish team. While the French team’s play seemed nervous and uninspired, the European champions displayed a more mature style of play. The Spaniards, in particular, had the upper hand in midfield with captain Rodri, Fabian Ruiz, and Dani Olmo.

Even with their backs against the wall, France’s highly acclaimed offense was rarely able to create scoring opportunities. A deflected shot by Mbappé—who, along with Lionel Messi, leads the scoring race with eight goals—was the most dangerous play by the heavy favorite to win the title.

Deschamps Is Now the Sole Record-Holding Coach

The semifinal was a special match for France’s coach, Didier Deschamps, who took his place on the sidelines as a coach for the 26th time in a World Cup match, thereby becoming the sole record-holder. With the quarterfinal victory over Morocco, the 57-year-old had tied Germany’s Helmut Schön. Despite the loss, he will extend his record by one more match before stepping down after 14 years in office following the World Cup.

Spain will play for its second World Cup title since 2010 on Sunday in East Rutherford. Its opponent will be either England or defending champion Argentina. France, which failed to reach its third consecutive final, will face the loser of the second semifinal on Saturday in Miami in the third-place match.

Telegram:

France – Spain 0–2 (0–1)

Arlington. – 70,176 spectators. – Referee: Barton (ESA). – Goals: 22' Mikel Oyarzabal (penalty) 0–1. 58' Pedro Porro (Dani Olmo) 0–2.

France: Maignan; Koundé, Upamecano, Saliba (30. Lacroix), Digne (72. Hernández); Tchouaméni, Rabiot (46. Koné); Dembélé, Olise (72. Cherki), Barcola (57. Doué); Mbappé.

Spain: Unai Simón; Pedro Porro (84. Marcos Llorente), Pau Cubarsí, Aymeric Laporte, Marc Cucurella; Rodri, Fabián Ruiz (78. Pedri); Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo (78. Mikel Merino), Álex Baena (84. Nico Williams); Mikel Oyarzabal (74. Ferran Torres).

Notes: Yellow cards: 9. Rabiot. 31. Marc Cucurella. 86. Mbappé.