Spain vs. France World Cup match result SF: Lamine Yamal shines as Spain beat Mbappe’s France to reach second World Cup final

Plays of Spain celebrate defeating France in a World Cup semifinal match Tuesday, July 14, 2026. (AP Photo) A clinical and disciplined Spain advanced to their first FIFA World Cup finals in 16 years after beating neighbors France 2-0 in a high-octane semi-final clash at AT&T Stadium on Tuesday. A first-half penalty from Mikel Oyarzabal and a brilliant strike from Pedro Porro in the second half sealed a memorable win for La Roja and crushed France’s dreams of reaching a third successive final.The win marked the third summer in a row that Spain have eliminated France in the final stages of a major tournament, following triumphs in the semi-finals of Euro 2024 and last year’s Nations League. Teen sensation Lamine Yamal, who had just turned 19 the day before, proved to be a wreaker once again and confirmed his pre-match warning that France should fear this Spanish side.Spain opened the scoring in the 22nd minute after Yamal’s sharpness caught the French defense off guard. France’s veteran defender Lucas Digne misjudged a header in his own box, allowing the sprinting Yamal to sneak in behind. Desperate to clear the danger, Digne kicked the teenager, prompting the referee to point directly to the penalty spot.Mikel Oyarzabal stepped up calmly and sent the keeper the wrong way to score his fifth goal of the tournament. The strike was the first time that one of the nation’s heavyweights had quit at any point in this entire world championship campaign.France, the world’s highest-ranked team, struggled to find their usual rhythm as Kylian Mbappé was kept at bay by a resolute Spanish backline. Spain completely took the game away from Les Bleus in the 58th minute. Pedro Porro started a wonderful give-and-go sequence with Dani Olmo before sending a powerful shot into the net to make it 2-0.Moments later, Yamal almost added a third, but his close-range finish was ruled out for narrowly offside. France threw bodies forward late in the game but were unable to break down an organized Spanish defence.Spain will now travel to East Rutherford, New Jersey for Sunday’s grand final at MetLife Stadium, where they will face either defending champions Argentina or England. Meanwhile, a disappointed French team will head to Miami Gardens on Saturday to face off in the third-place playoff match.