Spain vs France FIFA World Cup SF Match Result: Lamine Yamal performs well as Spain defeats Mbappe’s France to reach World Cup final for second time | Football News
A clinical, disciplined Spain advanced to its first FIFA World Cup final in 16 years, beating neighbors France 2-0 in a tight semifinal at AT&T Stadium on Tuesday. Mikel Oyarzabal’s penalty in the first half and Pedro Polo’s superb strike in the second half sealed a memorable victory for Spain, dashing France’s dreams of reaching a third successive final.The victory marked the third summer in a row that Spain has eliminated France in the final stages of a major tournament, following wins in the Euro 2024 semi-finals and last year’s Nations League. Teenage starlet Lamine Yamal, who celebrated his 19th birthday just a day earlier, once again proved himself to be the author of havoc, confirming his pre-match warning that France should fear the Spanish side.In the 22nd minute, Yamal’s sharpness caught the French defense off guard and Spain opened the scoring. French veteran defender Lucas Digne misjudged a header in his own penalty area, allowing the sprinting Yamal to sneak in from behind. In order to get out of danger, Digne kicked the teenager desperately, prompting the referee to point directly to the penalty spot.Mikel Oyarzabal calmly stepped up and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way for his fifth goal of the tournament. The strike marks the first time the two heavyweight nations have trailed at any point throughout the World Cup.France, the world’s top-ranked team, struggled to find their usual rhythm, with Kylian Mbappe pinned down by Spain’s determined backline. The Spanish team completely won the game in the 58th minute. Pedro Porro created a nice passing move with Dani Olmo and then fired a powerful shot into the net to make it 2-0.Yamal almost scored a third goal shortly after, but his close-range effort was called off for serious offside. France pushed their bodies forward late in the game but were unable to break through Spain’s organized defence.Spain will now travel to East Rutherford, New Jersey, for Sunday’s final at MetLife Stadium, where they will face either defending champion Argentina or England. Meanwhile, a disappointed France travel to Miami Gardens on Saturday for a third-place play-off tie.
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