The Gallic Rooster is out! Spain beats France 2-0 to reach the final, just one step away from their second World Cup title.

On July 15 Beijing time, the semifinal of the 2026 World Cup saw Spain eliminate France 2-0 to book a spot in the final. Oyarzabal netted a penalty in the first half, while Porro struck shortly after the break following a feed from Olmo. Spain's opponents in the final will be either Argentina or England.

In this World Cup, from the group stage to the quarterfinals, both Spain and France have impressed. Spain conceded only one goal in six matches, the fewest of any team, while France won all six games, scoring 15 goals—the most—making them heavy favorites. Historically, the two sides have met only once in the World Cup, a 3-1 French victory in the round of 16 in 2006. However, in their last two encounters, Spain eliminated France in the European Championship semifinals and then in the UEFA Nations League semifinals. France currently ranks first in the world, while Spain sits third.

At the start of the match, both teams played cautiously, with limited attacking intensity. Spain attempted to threaten through set pieces, while France, led by Mbappé, looked to counter-attack quickly. In the 14th minute, Olise slid into Rodri's ankle, catching the Spanish captain's ankle. Rodri fell in pain, and the entire French team was nervous. The referee did not issue a yellow or red card to Olise.

In the 20th minute, French left-back Digne tripped Yamal inside the penalty area, and the referee immediately awarded a penalty. Spain's striker Oyarzabal stepped up and calmly converted the spot kick, giving Spain a 1-0 lead. This was the first time France had fallen behind in the entire tournament.Shortly after, France suffered another blow. In the 30th minute, starting center-back Saliba went down injured without any contact, unable to continue. Deschamps was forced to replace him with Lacroix.

In the following period, Spain grew in confidence. In the 36th minute, Spanish right-back Porro let fly from outside the box, but the ball went just over the crossbar. Two minutes later, Fabian surged into the box and poked a shot from close range, but it was blocked and cleared. The first half ended with Spain leading 1-0.

After the break, Spain were the quicker to find their rhythm.In the 58th minute, Spain launched an attack from the front. Olmo held off his defender on the edge of the box and laid the ball off, Porro surged forward into the area and scored, making it 2-0. Spain added another goal.As a result, France, trailing by two goals, were in serious trouble.

In the 61st minute, another clear gap appeared in the French defense. Yamal received a pass, broke into the box, and scored, but he was offside, so the goal was disallowed. France were fortunate to escape. Saliba's injury clearly hurt the French defense. A few minutes later, Mbappé finally made an impact. In the 67th minute, Mbappé collected a pass on the edge of the box and fired a shot, which skimmed the post, sending a chill down Simon's spine. Had Mbappé scored, the game could have turned dramatically.

In the 80th minute, France launched a long-ball attack. Simon rushed out of the box to clear, but Doué collected the ball and attempted a long-range shot at the near-empty net. Simon quickly retreated and blocked the ball on the edge of the box before calmly catching it. In the 89th minute, Mbappé took a free kick with his right foot, but the ball sailed over the wall and over the bar. In stoppage time, Dembélé cut inside from the right and shot, but Simon held it firmly.

In the end, Spain defeated France 2-0 to advance to the World Cup final.

Starting Lineups

Spain starting lineup: 23-Simon, 24-Cucurella, 14-Laporte, 22-Cubarsí, 12-Porro (84' 5-Llorente), 16-Rodri, 8-Fabián (78' 20-Pedri), 15-Baena (84' 17-Nico Williams), 10-Olmo (78' 6-Merino), 19-Yamal, 21-Oyarzabal (74' 7-Torres);

France starting lineup: 16-Maignan, 3-Digne (73' 19-Theo), 17-Saliba (30' 26-Lacroix), 4-Upamecano, 5-Koundé, 14-Rabiot (46' 6-Koné), 8-Tchouaméni, 12-Barcola (57' 20-Doué), 11-Olise (73' 24-Cherki), 7-Dembélé, 10-Mbappé;