Spain has advanced to the World Cup Final for the second time in the nation's history, defeating France 2-0 in a dominant semifinal performance on Tuesday. The victory secured Spain's place in the final match, where they will face the winner of the upcoming semifinal between England and Argentina.
The Spanish team's strong defense proved impenetrable, holding France scoreless and marking Spain's sixth shutout of the tournament. This historic defensive effort prevented France, who had been undefeated in World Cup knockout stage matches for over 40 years, from advancing.
Spain opened the scoring in the 22nd minute when Mikel Oyarzabal converted a penalty kick. The penalty was awarded after a defensive error by France's Lucas Digne, who inadvertently fouled Spain's Lamine Yamal inside the box. Oyarzabal's shot found the side net, eluding the dive of France's goalkeeper Mike Maignan.
France showed increased intensity in the second half, but Spain's defense continued to stifle their attempts. The decisive second goal came in the 58th minute when Pedro Porro scored his second career goal for Spain. Porro received a pass from Dani Olmo after a run into the box and finished past Maignan to extend Spain's lead to 2-0.
Despite a late free kick opportunity for Kylian Mbappé just before stoppage time, his shot sailed over the crossbar, sealing France's fate. Spain goalkeeper Unai Simón was not significantly tested throughout the match.
The semifinal was played at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Spain, the 2010 World Cup champions, now prepare for their second appearance in the tournament's final match.