La Roja smother Mbappé and reach the final: France 0-2 Spain in Dallas

A duel between the two most valuable squads in the world had everything to be a shootout: Mbappé and Dembélé on one side, Lamine Yamal on the other. In practice, it was a demonstration of control. Spain beat France 2-0 at AT&T Stadium in Dallas and are in the final of the 2026 World Cup.

Mikel Oyarzabal opened the scoring from the penalty spot at 22 minutes, after Lucas Digne brought down Lamine Yamal in the box. In the second half, at 58, Pedro Porro played a one-two with Dani Olmo, burst into the area and side-footed home, leaving Maignan no chance: 2-0 and game over.

For France, beyond the elimination, an uncomfortable footnote: it was the team's first defeat at this World Cup — and the end of the dream of a third consecutive final, after the 2018 title and the 2022 runners-up finish.

The game: shared possession, Spanish control

The scoreline tells a story that the possession stats (51% to 49% for Spain) disguise. In the numbers that matter, La Roja dominated: 1.63 expected goals (xG) against just 0.31 for the French. The Spanish defense simply smothered Mbappé and Dembélé — France finished the semifinal without creating a single clear chance.

The first half was drifting along until Yamal, at 22, did what he has done all tournament: accelerate at his marker and force the mistake. Digne arrived late, Salvadoran referee Iván Barton pointed to the spot, and Oyarzabal — Spain's man for the decisive moments — converted with composure.

The second goal was this team in miniature: a quick combination down the right, Porro exchanging passes with Olmo and finishing first time. From there, Spain managed the game like a side that has played plenty of finals — Maignan ended the match without making a save, while Unai Simón was called into action three times.

Euro 2024 all over again — and the recent pattern hardens

The semifinal was a rematch of the Euro 2024 semifinal, when Spain also knocked France out (2-1) on the way to the title. At World Cups, it was only the second meeting in history: in the first, in the 2006 round of 16, Zidane's France won 3-1. Twenty years later, Spain returned the favor — with a place in the final at stake.

Spain at World Cups

Spain's 2026 campaign is a crescendo: 1-0 over Portugal in the round of 16 (Merino at 90+1), 2-1 over Belgium in the quarterfinals (Merino again, at 88) and now an untroubled 2-0 over France. Champions in 2010 and at Euro 2024, La Roja will play the second World Cup final in their history — and arrive as favorites, whoever the opponent.

France at World Cups

This French generation leaves the World Cup with a paradox: they produced another solid campaign — 3-0 over Sweden, 1-0 over Paraguay, 2-0 over Morocco — and fell in the first game in which they met an opponent their own size. After contesting the 2018 and 2022 finals, Mbappé's France stop at the semifinal, and the question hanging over 2030 is about the rebuild around the number 10.

Spain's standouts

Lamine Yamal (Barcelona, 19). He didn't score, but he decided it: the penalty that opened the game was born from his burst at Digne. It's the pattern of his entire World Cup — even when his name doesn't appear on the scoresheet, the game runs through him. At 19, he is one match away from being a world champion.

Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad, 29). Spain's man for the big occasions did it again. Scorer of the goal that won Euro 2024, he coolly converted the penalty that set up the win — and remains the understated face of a Spain side that decides games without any fuss.

Pedro Porro (Tottenham, 26). The full-back scored the goal that killed the game with a futsal move: a short one-two with Olmo and a first-time finish. It's his second goal of the World Cup — the first came in the rout of Austria in the round of 32.

France's standouts

Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid, 27). The night it didn't happen. Surrounded by two and sometimes three markers, he finished the semifinal without a dangerous shot — and France's total xG (0.31) sums up the shutdown job. He leaves the tournament with 19 career World Cup goals, still chasing the all-time record, but without the third consecutive final that seemed within reach.

Mike Maignan (Milan, 31). A cruel stat line: zero saves. Not through any merit or fault of his own — Spain put few shots on target, but converted what they created. On both goals he had no chance to react.

Match facts

• 22' — Mikel Oyarzabal (ESP), penalty, after Digne's foul on Lamine Yamal
• 58' — Pedro Porro (ESP), one-two with Dani Olmo
• Referee: Iván Barton (El Salvador)
• AT&T Stadium, Arlington (Dallas)

Next opponent: the final

Spain now await the winner of Argentina vs England, who meet this Wednesday in Atlanta — a rematch of the historic 1986 duel. Whoever comes through, the final will carry the weight of history: the reigning world champions, or the team chasing a second title 60 years after 1966, against a Spain side looking to close the most dominant cycle in European football with a second star. You can follow it all here on Guriball.