In the 18th minute at Dallas stadium, defender Lucas Digne mistimed his clearance, striking Lamine Yamal's leg inside the penalty area. After a VAR review, the referee awarded Spain a penalty. Mikel Oyarzabal capitalized on the opportunity, striking the ball with his left foot into the right corner to open the scoring.

Mikel Oyarzabal scores the opening goal from the penalty spot, beating France's goalkeeper Mike Maignan in the World Cup semi-final between Spain and France at Dallas stadium, Arlington, Texas, US, on 14/7. *Photo: AP*

France not only holds the record for the most penalties conceded in World Cup history, but they have also faced six penalties in the last two tournaments, more than any other team. During this period, they have conceded the most goals from penalties, with 4 (excluding shootouts). The most recent penalty before the Spain match occurred in the World Cup 2026 group stage, though Mike Maignan saved Norway's shot then.

Oyarzabal's opening goal also marked his 5th goal at World Cup 2026, equaling the record for most goals scored by a Spanish player in a single World Cup, previously held by Emilio Butragueno (1986) and David Villa (2010). He still has the final match to potentially break this national record.

This was Oyarzabal's 14th goal for the national team in the 2025-2026 season, surpassing Villa's record of 13 goals set in the 2008-2009 season. Furthermore, Oyarzabal became the first Spanish player to successfully convert a penalty with his left foot at a World Cup since Txiki Begiristain against Switzerland on 2/7/1994.

After taking the lead, Spain controlled the game. The reigning European champions gave France's attack almost no opportunities to approach their goal. In the 58th minute, Pedro Porro played a one-two pass with Dani Olmo, then entered the penalty area and shot into the near corner, securing a 2-0 victory.

Pedro Porro's goal made him the second Spanish defender to score two goals in a World Cup, following Fernando Hierro at World Cup 2002.

France generated only 0,3 expected goals (xG) throughout the entire match – the lowest for a team in a World Cup semi-final since Brazil managed only 0,1 xG against Sweden in 1994. Despite taking 10 shots, Didier Deschamps's squad only had three shots on target and created almost no truly dangerous opportunities.

Spain became the first team in World Cup history to keep six clean sheets in a single tournament. They are also the fourth team in the 21st century to reach the final without ever trailing in any match, after Germany in 2002, Italy in 2006, and Argentina in 2014.

Spain's impressive run of form extends across multiple statistics. They equaled Italy's 37-match unbeaten streak from 2018-2021, the longest in European national team history. This also marks Spain's eighth consecutive victory in World Cup and Euro knockout matches – a feat no other European national team has achieved.

Pedro Porro celebrates his goal to make it 2-0 in the World Cup semi-final between Spain and France at Dallas stadium, Arlington, Texas, US, on 14/7. *Photo: AP*

The victory over France also reaffirmed Spain's dominance in recent encounters. They have won three consecutive matches against France, all in major tournament semi-finals, following Euro 2024 and Nations League 2024-2025. For Deschamps personally, Spain is the opponent against whom he has suffered the most defeats as France's head coach, with five matches.

Alongside Oyarzabal and Porro, Olmo also made an impact by assisting the second goal. The midfielder increased his total assists at the World Cup and Euro to eight, matching Cesc Fabregas's record for Spain since 1980.

Lamine Yamal continued his perfect streak in major tournaments. According to Opta, the 19-year-old talent has started 12 matches at the World Cup and Euro, winning all 12, achieving the highest 100% win rate in history for a European player with 10 or more starts in these two competitions. He is also among five European players with the most matches at the World Cup and Euro without experiencing a defeat, alongside Aymeric Laporte, Oyarzabal, Fabian Ruiz, and Mikel Merino.

Lamine Yamal (left) battles for the ball with Kylian Mbappe in the World Cup semi-final between Spain and France at Dallas stadium, Arlington, Texas, US, on 14/7. *Photo: AP*

Meanwhile, France suffered another setback when William Saliba left the field due to injury in the 30th minute. However, this was not the earliest injury substitution in a World Cup semi-final. That record still belongs to Morocco's central defender Romain Saiss, who exited in the 20th minute against France at World Cup 2022.

The 2-0 victory sends Spain to the World Cup final for the first time since their championship win in 2010. Their opponent will be the winner of the other semi-final between England and Argentina.

Xuan Binh compiled