Spain is going back to the World Cup Final for the first time in 16 years, and they did it the way they’ve done everything this summer — with suffocating defense and just enough offense. Mikel Oyarzabal buried a penalty kick in the first half, Pedro Porro added a second after the break, and Spain rolled past France 2-0 in Dallas on Tuesday night.
The scoreline doesn’t fully capture how dominant Spain looked. France barely got a sniff. Kylian Mbappe, the guy who wrecked defenses for fun in this tournament, spent most of the night running into walls of red shirts. Unai Simon didn’t have to do anything spectacular. He just had to be there, because Spain’s back line made sure nothing dangerous got through. It was his fifth clean sheet of the World Cup.
Lamine Yamal didn’t score, and Spain didn’t care
The 18-year-old wunderkind had been the story of Spain’s tournament, but France keyed in on him and held him quiet. Didn’t matter. Spain has more than one way to beat you now. Oyarzabal drew the penalty after a clumsy challenge in the box and stepped up to smash it past the French keeper. Porro’s goal came off a broken play that Spain’s forwards just wanted more than France’s defenders.
Spain’s only other World Cup final appearance was 2010, when they beat the Netherlands 1-0 in Johannesburg. That team is remembered as one of the best ever. This one might not have the same star power in midfield, but the defense is legitimately stingy. They’ve given up three goals total in six games. Three.
France, meanwhile, has to be wondering what went wrong. They controlled possession early but couldn’t create clear chances. Mbappe looked frustrated by the 60th minute. The rest of the attack didn’t offer much help. It’s a bitter result for a team that lost the 2022 final to Argentina in penalties and thought this might be their year.
They’ll still get a consolation prize. France heads to Miami for the third-place game on Saturday against the loser of Wednesday’s other semifinal between England and Argentina. That’s not what anyone in that locker room wanted when this tournament started, but it beats going home empty.
Spain will wait for the winner of England-Argentina at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sunday at 3 p.m. Eastern. The question now: Can Harry Kane or Lionel Messi crack a defense that just made Mbappe look ordinary? We’ll find out soon enough.
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