Spain secured their place in the final with an impressive 2-0 win over France in Dallas. Thus, Didier Deschamps’ hopes of a dignified farewell are dashed.
La Roja will face England or Argentina in Sunday’s final after a disciplined and clinical performance that left France’s star-studded attack completely frustrated.
LIVE – France vs Spain: Commentary, updates, goals and statistics from the World Cup semi-finals
The breakthrough came after 20 minutes – thanks to a moment of greatness and courage from Lamine Yamal.
The teenage winger threw himself in front of Lucas Digne when the Frenchman tried to clear the ball, and incurred contact – penalty! The judge pointed to the mark despite French protests.
Mikel Oyarzabal showed no signs of nerves. From the penalty spot, he hammered the ball high into the crossbar, over Mike Maignan’s outstretched hand – 1-0 to Spain.
France’s nightmare only got worse when William Saliba had to leave the pitch with a back injury midway through the first half.
French attack stopped
Despite the likes of Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise and Bradley Barcola, France struggled mightily to create chances against Spain’s organised defence.
Aymeric Laporte and Pau Cubarsí excelled at the heart of the defence, while Unai Simón was rarely put to serious tests.
Mbappé’s best chance before half-time came when he stormed alone towards goal – but Simón came out and cleared before the Frenchman could finish.
Spain became increasingly dangerous on counter-attacks in the second half and doubled their lead just before the hour was played – from an unexpected source.
After Dani Olmo and Pedro Porro combined brilliantly on the edge of the box, the Tottenham full-back continued the run and coolly broadsided the ball past Maignan to make it 2-0. France was left with a mountain to climb.
Healthy bones didn’t help
Deschamps responded by sending in fresh forces – Désiré Doué and Rayan Cherki came in – but France never found their rhythm.
The frustration boiled over when Mbappé received a yellow card late in the game after a late tackle on Simón.
The closest France came to a reduction was when Mbappé forced Marc Cucurella into an important block, before Simón saved himself from a rare mistake and stopped Doue’s finish.
At full-time, France had just three shots on target and only produced 0.3 in expected goals – despite all the attacking quality they had at their disposal.
Spain is in the final. France is out. And in Dallas, there was only one team that played football.
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