Mikel Oyarzabal scored from the penalty spot after a heady play by teenager Lamine Yamal, Pedro Porro added another goal, and Spain advanced to its first World Cup final since winning in 2010 with a 2-0 victory over France on Tuesday. A day after his 19th birthday, Yamal was denied a goal on a close offside call that came soon after Porro's give-and-go with Dani Olmo in the 58th minute had put Spain up 2-0. But it was Yamal's smart play against a veteran defender that put Spain in the lead, the AP reports.
Spain will face either defending champion Argentina or England on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Argentina and England face each other on Wednesday in Atlanta. Kylian Mbappé and France, FIFA's top-ranked team, were trying to become only the third team to reach three consecutive World Cup finals. They instead will play in the third-place game in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Saturday, the day before the final at MetLife Stadium across the river from New York City.
- This win on soccer's biggest stage marked the third summer in a row that Spain beat France in a tournament semifinal match. Yamal scored in a 2-1 win in the 2024 European Championship semifinals just days before his 17th birthday, and La Roja won 5-4 in Nations League play last year.
- France had been seen as this World Cup's dominant team and the odds were in their favor ahead of Tuesday's game, with their attack appearing "unstoppable," the Athletic reports. But Spain made them look "distinctly average," reports the BBC. France attempted just 10 shots, their lowest of any game in this tournament.
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