Spain 2-0 France: Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro fire La Roja into 2026 FIFA World Cup final, Stats, Facts.
Spain are one win away from World Cup glory after a brilliant 2-0 victory over France in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinal on Tuesday, with teenage sensation Lamine Yamal once again proving why he is one of football's brightest stars.
Despite not getting on the scoresheet, Yamal was the driving force behind Spain's victory. The Barcelona youngster won the penalty that led to the opening goal and later had a goal ruled out by VAR for a razor-thin offside decision.
Mikel Oyarzabal gave Spain the breakthrough in the 22nd minute, calmly converting from the penalty spot after Yamal was brought down by France defender Lucas Digne inside the area. The goal was Oyarzabal's fifth of the tournament and his 30th international goal for Spain.
Spain doubled their advantage in the 58th minute when Pedro Porro finished a slick one-two move with Dani Olmo, leaving France with a mountain to climb. Moments later, Yamal thought he had sealed the victory himself, only for VAR to chalk off his effort for a marginal offside.
The result sends La Roja to their first FIFA World Cup final since winning the title in 2010, where they will face either defending champions Argentina or England on Sunday, July 19, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
For Kylian Mbappé and France, it was a bitter end to an impressive campaign. The world's top-ranked side had hoped to become only the third nation in World Cup history to reach three consecutive finals, but Spain's disciplined defending and clinical finishing ended that dream. France will now play in Saturday's third-place playoff in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Spain's latest triumph also continued their recent dominance over Les Bleus. It marks the third consecutive summer that Spain have knocked France out in a major semifinal, following victories in the UEFA Euro 2024 and the 2025 UEFA Nations League.
Before the match, Yamal boldly claimed that France should fear Spain after their quarterfinal win over Belgium. On the biggest stage yet, the teenager backed up those words with another fearless display, tormenting France's defense throughout the night.
Remarkably, neither Spain nor France had trailed at any point during the tournament before Tuesday's semifinal. Oyarzabal's penalty not only broke that streak but also shifted the momentum firmly in Spain's favor, as Luis de la Fuente's side controlled the contest from start to finish.
Now, with just one game separating them from football immortality, Spain will head to New Jersey chasing their second FIFA World Cup title, while France must settle for a shot at third place as the curtain begins to fall on Didier Deschamps' 14-year reign as head coach.
Spain 2-0 France semi-final game stats, score, facts, records.
Key Stats: Spain vs France – 2026 FIFA World Cup Semifinal
Spain reached their second FIFA World Cup final, their first since winning the title in 2010.
La Roja equaled Italy's European record of a 37-match unbeaten run (28 wins, 9 draws).
Spain have won seven of their last eight major tournament semifinals, giving them the best semifinal success rate (88%) among European nations.
Spain became the first European team to win eight consecutive knockout matches at major tournaments (World Cup and EURO).
Spain also became only the fourth team this century to reach a World Cup final without trailing in any match during the tournament.
Spain set a new FIFA World Cup record with six clean sheets in a single edition and allowed just 0.3 expected goals (xG) against France—the lowest in a World Cup semifinal since 1994.
Mikel Oyarzabal scored his fifth goal of the tournament, becoming only the third Spanish player to achieve that feat at a single World Cup.
Dani Olmo matched Cesc FÃ bregas' record of eight assists for Spain in major tournaments and has contributed a goal or assist in all three of his major semifinal appearances.
Pedro Porro became only the second Spanish defender to score multiple goals in a FIFA World Cup after Fernando Hierro.
France manager Didier Deschamps has now lost five matches to Spain, more than against any other national team.
France suffered just their second knockout-stage defeat in open play in their last 23 World Cup knockout matches.
Kylian Mbappé failed to register a shot on target in a World Cup match for only the second time in his last 15 tournament appearances.
France have conceded more penalties (6) and penalty goals (4) than any other team across the last two FIFA World Cups.
Les Bleus failed to record a first-half shot on target for the third time in seven matches at the 2026 World Cup, highlighting Spain's defensive dominance.
0 Comments