Spain booked their place in the 2026 World Cup final with an impressive 2-0 win over France in Dallas, ending Didier Deschamps hopes of a triumphant farewell. La Roja will now face either England or Argentina in Sundays showpiece after producing a disciplined and clinical display that left Frances star-studded attack frustrated.The breakthrough arrived after 20 minutes following a moment of brilliance and bravery from Lamine Yamal. The teenage winger darted in front of Lucas Digne as the France defender attempted to clear his lines, drawing contact and a penalty despite protests from Les Bleus.Mikel Oyarzabal showed no sign of nerves from the spot, emphatically dispatching his penalty high into the top-right corner beyond Mike Maignans dive to hand Spain a deserved lead.Frances afternoon worsened shortly afterwards when William Saliba was forced off with a back injury midway through the first half.Table of ContentsFrench attack haltedFresh legs fail to impactFrench attack haltedDespite boasting the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise and Bradley Barcola, France struggled badly to create meaningful opportunities against Spains organised defence. Aymeric Laporte and Pau Cubarsi were excellent at the heart of the back line, while Unai Simon was rarely called into serious action.Mbappes best opportunity before the break saw the striker race through on goal, only for Simon to rush from his line and clear the danger before the France captain could apply a finish.Spain looked increasingly dangerous on the counter after half-time and doubled their advantage just before the hour mark through an unlikely source.After Dani Olmo and Pedro Porro combined brilliantly on the edge of the area, the Tottenham full-back continued his run before calmly side-footing past Maignan to make it 2-0 and leave France facing a mountain to climb.Fresh legs fail to impactDeschamps responded by introducing fresh legs, with Desire Doue and Rayan Cherki both thrown into the action, but France never found any rhythm. Their frustrations boiled over as Mbappe collected a late yellow card following a rash challenge on Simon.The closest Les Bleus came to a breakthrough arrived when Mbappe forced Marc Cucurella into an important block before Simon recovered from a rare mistake to deny Doue late on.By full-time, France had managed just three shots on target and generated only 0.3 expected goals despite the array of attacking talent at their disposal. Topics France National Football Team Spain National Football Team Add us as a preferred source on Google If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source You Should Also Read WATCH: Spain take lead against France after Yamal wins penalty in first half Mitch Fretton 14th July, 2026 World Cup 2026 live: France vs Spain confirmed teams and full line ups as Barcola, Tchouameni start with England or Argentina awaiting winners, TV channel, online stream and stats Ben Miller 14th July, 2026 LIVE France v Spain: Commentary, updates, goals and stats for World Cup semi-final clash Jon Fisher 14th July, 2026 FIFA World Cup 2026: Full France fixtures, results, schedule, confirmed squad, next match, kick off times Ben Miller 14th July, 2026 Kylian Mbappe: World Cup 2026 playing schedule, fixtures, kick off times, where to watch, confirmed news updates and full France squad Ben Miller 14th July, 2026 France v Spain: Expected line-ups, stats and where to watch as European champions meet World Cup favourites Jon Fisher 14th July, 2026
