Spain have booked their place in the FIFA World Cup final after defeating France 2-0 in Tuesday’s semi-final at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The victory ended France’s bid for a third World Cup title and sent the 2010 champions into the final, where they will face either England or Argentina.
Spain took the lead midway through the first half after referee Ivan Barton awarded a penalty for a foul by France defender Lucas Digne on winger Lamine Yamal. Mikel Oyarzabal converted from the spot, beating goalkeeper Mike Maignan for his fifth goal of the tournament.
France suffered another setback shortly afterwards when defender William Saliba was forced off with a recurrence of a lower back injury and was replaced by Maxence Lacroix.
Spain maintained control throughout the first half, limiting France to just two attempts on goal without a shot on target.
Coach Didier Deschamps introduced Desire Doue early in the second half in an attempt to revive France’s attack, but Spain doubled their advantage moments later. Pedro Porro finished off a well-worked move after exchanging passes with Dani Olmo before calmly slotting the ball past Maignan.
Deschamps responded by introducing Theo Hernandez and Rayan Cherki, but France were unable to break down a disciplined Spanish defence.
Spain have now conceded only one goal throughout the tournament and are one victory away from claiming their second World Cup title, having previously won the competition in 2010.
The defeat ends France’s hopes of adding to their 1998 and 2018 World Cup triumphs. The runners-up at the 2022 tournament will now play in the third-place match.
The result also marks the beginning of the end of Didier Deschamps’ 14-year tenure as France coach, with the veteran manager set to step down after the tournament.
