Spain advanced to the 2026 World Cup final after a decisive 2-0 victory over tournament favorites France. The result ends the campaign for several Serie A stars, including Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan, midfielder Adrien Rabiot, and Roma’s Manu Koné, all of whom will miss the championship match. France is now set to compete for the bronze medal on July 18, while Spain awaits the winner of the England versus Argentina semi-final for the July 19 showdown in New Jersey.
France, which had maintained a perfect winning streak leading up to this match, made tactical adjustments by starting Bradley Barcola over Désiré Doué and bringing in Aurelien Tchaoumeni to replace Manu Koné in the midfield. Spain, who had conceded only one goal throughout the tournament, opted to start former Napoli midfielder Fabian Ruiz ahead of Pedri.
The breakthrough came when Spain was awarded a penalty after Lucas Digne fouled Lamine Yamal. Mikel Oyarzabal successfully converted the spot-kick against Mike Maignan to give Spain the lead. France’s difficulties compounded shortly after when defender William Saliba was forced off the pitch due to a back injury. Despite efforts from Kylian Mbappé, who was denied by Unai Simon in the 42nd minute and saw a later strike deflected by Marc Cucurella, France could not find an equalizer.
Following a yellow card in the first half, Adrien Rabiot was replaced by Manu Koné at the start of the second period. Spain extended their lead when Pedro Porro scored at the near post following a precise give-and-go sequence with Dani Olmo. Although Lamine Yamal had a subsequent goal ruled out for offside and France nearly capitalized on a late error by Unai Simon, the Spanish defense held firm to secure the victory.
Spain conceded only one goal in six World Cup games, during the 2-1 victory over Belgium, and again picked ex-Napoli midfielder Fabian Ruiz rather than Pedri.
Mikel Oyarzabal scores from the spot and Spain lead France! 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/pJManVOZf3
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