Spain 2-0 France: Oyarzabal and Porro fire Spain into World Cup Final
Spain produce a tactical masterclass at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, defeating France 2-0 with goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro to secure their spot in the final.
Spain produced a masterclass of controlled, clinical football to brush aside France 2-0 and march into their first World Cup final since 2010.
A first-half penalty from Mikel Oyarzabal and a beautifully worked second-half strike by Pedro Porro did the damage in Dallas, leaving a listless Les Bleus to contemplate what might have been. Luis de la Fuente’s European champions completely bypassed a crowded French midfield, strangling the game with their trademark possession and rendering the formidable Kylian Mbappé a mere spectator for large swathes of the evening.
While France entered the clash as slight favorites, it was Spain who seized early command. The crucial breakthrough arrived midway through the first half when Lamine Yamal, a day after his 19th birthday, latched onto a high ball, completely outwitting Lucas Digne. The French left-back kicked through the young Barcelona winger inside the penalty area, leaving referee Ivan Barton with no choice but to point to the spot. Mikel Oyarzabal, stepping up with icy composure, hit a clinical penalty past spot-kick specialist Mike Maignan to claim his 30th international goal, joining an elite group of just six Spanish men to reach the milestone.
Things went from bad to worse for Didier Deschamps’ side just minutes later. Arsenal centre-back William Saliba went down with a back injury, forcing him off the field on the half-hour mark. Though replacement Maxence Lacroix fought valiantly, the loss of Saliba’s defensive leadership was a blow from which France never truly recovered.
Les Bleus attempted a brief tactical reshuffle at halftime, hooking Adrien Rabiot for Manu Koné to avoid a second booking, but the tactical shift did little to disrupt Spain’s rhythm. In the 58th minute, Spain doubled their lead in breathtaking fashion. Tottenham right-back Pedro Porro played a palatial one-two with Dani Olmo on the edge of the area, burst into the box untouched, and swept a sublime finish past Maignan.
Deschamps threw on young talents Désiré Doué and Rayan Cherki in a desperate bid to spark a comeback, but the Spanish backline, expertly protected by the titanic pairing of Rodri and Fabián Ruiz, remained impenetrable. Whenever France did threaten, goalkeeper Unai Simón acted astutely as a sweeper-keeper, and Marc Cucurella executed a flawless late tackle to block a rare sighting of goal for Mbappé.
The final whistle triggered scenes of absolute ecstasy for the Spaniards, who now await a monumental final showdown on Sunday at the New York/New Jersey Stadium against either England or Argentina. For France, a bid for a third successive World Cup final ends in bitter disappointment, leaving them to contest Saturday’s third-place play-off in Miami.
