From the starting whistle on Tuesday, Spain dominated France with relentless pressing and controlled possession, effectively neutralizing a French attack that had been formidable throughout the tournament.
The European champions are now just one win away from achieving a prestigious double in the sport’s biggest competitions.
They will learn who they face in the final on Wednesday (Thursday morning, NZ time) when England competes against Argentina in Atlanta for a spot in Sunday’s main event.
For Spain, a second World Cup title 16 years after their first would mark the beginning of a new golden era, built around players like Lamine Yamal and a team adept both with and without the ball.
The atmosphere in Arlington was electric as announcer Bruce Buffer energetically introduced the teams for a highly anticipated match.
Despite high expectations, the match quickly became one-sided as Spain dictated the pace and left France struggling to keep up.
LETHAL ATTACK
France entered with the tournament’s most feared offensive lineup, yet it proved ineffective.
Spain controlled possession, restricted space, and denied Les Bleus the ball they needed for their forwards to operate.
Remarkably, Spain played with the cohesion of a well-drilled club team, exhibiting seamless movement and passing, which reduced France to bystanders and limited them to just two shots on goal.
Spain opened the scoring 22 minutes in. Marc Cucurella delivered a deep cross that was miscontrolled by Lucas Digne, leading to a penalty as Yamal was fouled in the attempt to clear. The referee swiftly pointed to the spot.
Oyarzabal confidently converted the penalty, leaving goalkeeper Mike Maignan with no chance despite diving correctly.
For the first time in this World Cup, France found themselves behind, and the hydration break provided a critical moment for coach Didier Deschamps to regroup his team.
However, France struggled to regain their rhythm, and they nearly fell further behind when Fabian Ruiz’s effort was thwarted by Dayot Upamecano’s crucial intervention.
France’s previously potent attack was stifled. Michael Olise barely saw the ball, Ousmane Dembele was ineffective, and even captain Kylian Mbappe failed to produce any magic.
Spain tightened their grip just before the hour mark, with Porro doubling their lead after a composed exchange with Dani Olmo, effectively sealing France’s fate.
As the final whistle blew, Spain’s players celebrated their comprehensive victory, while France was left to ponder what went wrong.
