ARLINGTON, Texas — Spain secured a place in Sunday’s World Cup final with a 2-0 victory over France, dominating the semifinal that had been billed as a 50-50 matchup. The reigning European champions controlled large portions of the match and more than deserved the win.
Forward Mikel Oyarzabal opened the scoring in the 20th minute from the penalty spot after France left back Lucas Digne was penalized for inadvertently kicking Lamine Yamal in the box. France’s first-half display was marred by several errors, and Arsenal center back William Saliba was forced off with a back injury about 10 minutes after the penalty; Maxence Lacroix came on as his replacement. Didier Deschamps will step down as France coach after the tournament.
Spain doubled their lead when right back Pedro Porro combined with midfielder Dani Olmo before calmly finishing past goalkeeper Mike Maignan. France briefly improved after the break but their momentum was extinguished by Porro’s goal.
For all of France’s attacking talent, they finished the match with an expected goals total of just 0.3. Spain reached their second World Cup final and their first since winning the tournament in 2010. England or Argentina, who meet in the second semifinal in Atlanta on Wednesday, await the winner in the final.
In tactical analysis, Rob Dawson wrote that Spain’s ability to keep possession and press immediately after losing the ball neutralized France’s build-up play. Central midfielders Adrien Rabiot and Aurélien Tchouaméni were described as being outmanned by Spain’s midfield, and attempts by Deschamps to alter the setup — including dropping Michael Olise deeper and replacing him with Manu Koné at halftime — failed to change the game’s course, according to Dawson.
