Spain is back in the FIFA World Cup final for the first time in 16 years. A composed and clinical display saw La Roja defeat defending champions France 2-0 in the first semifinal at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, setting up a showdown with either Argentina or England.
Luis de la Fuente’s side controlled the contest for long spells and made its superiority count through Mikel Oyarzabal’s first-half penalty and Pedro Porro’s superbly crafted strike after the break. France, despite enjoying periods of pressure and creating a handful of chances, lacked the cutting edge to breach Spain’s disciplined defence.
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Oyarzabal breaks the deadlock
Spain’s breakthrough came in the 22nd minute after Lamine Yamal was brought down by Lucas Digne inside the penalty area. Mikel Oyarzabal stepped up and powered his spot-kick beyond Mike Maignan, who guessed the right way but could not keep the effort out.
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The goal rewarded Spain’s dominance in possession, although France remained a threat on the counter through Kylian Mbappe, who squandered the visitors’ best opportunity after delaying his shot when sent through by Ousmane Dembele.
France also suffered a setback before half-time when William Saliba limped off injured, forcing Didier Deschamps into an early defensive reshuffle.
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Porro puts Spain in command
France emerged with greater intent after the restart, but Spain delivered the decisive blow in the 58th minute.
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Pedro Porro initiated a slick passing move before exchanging passes with Dani Olmo and calmly slotting past Maignan to double Spain’s advantage.
Spain nearly made it three moments later when Lamine Yamal found the net, only for the offside flag to deny the teenager.
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Simon stands tall as France falters
France threw everything forward in the closing stages, introducing Desire Doue, Rayan Cherki and Theo Hernandez in search of a comeback.
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However, Unai Simon produced another outstanding performance, denying Mbappe and Doue, while Spain’s backline, marshalled by Rodri, Aymeric Laporte and Marc Cucurella, dealt comfortably with France’s late pressure.
Mbappe’s frustrations summed up France’s evening. The captain was booked late on, before blazing a dangerous free-kick over the crossbar with time running out.
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Spain ends France’s remarkable run
The victory sends Spain into its first FIFA World Cup final since 2010, when it defeated the Netherlands to lift its maiden—and so far only—World Cup title.
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For France, the defeat ends its bid to become the first men’s team since West Germany (1982, 1986 and 1990) to reach three consecutive World Cup finals. It is also Les Bleus’ first two-goal defeat at a World Cup since a 2-0 loss to Mexico in the 2010 group stage.
Spain will now await the winner of the second semifinal between Argentina and England, while France will feature in the third-place playoff.
Tuchel could become only the fourth manager to reach a World Cup final with a team other than their home nation – and first since Austrian Ernst Happel with the Netherlands in 1978.
But his England side will have their work cut out against Argentina, who are in the World Cup’s last four for the third time in the past four editions.
When asked by BBC Sport’s Sami Mokbel if the rivalry between the two sides would provide extra motivation on Wednesday, Tuchel said: “We don’t use it as fuel. We know why we’re here – we know what we want.
“We were never shy of expecting that from us, of saying it, of dreaming it. We’re in the semi-final – we arrive very hungry and want the next win.”
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Political tensions, especially around the Falklands War in the 1980s, have dominated the relationship between the two nations.
After Argentina’s 3-2 win over Egypt in the last 16, their players were filmed singing a chant referencing the islands.
But Tuchel said: “We respect our opponent, but we don’t dip into historic events. We don’t make it bigger than it is.
“It is a big football match and a big occasion. We are very excited and grateful, but very hungry and ready to go.
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“It’s a big rivalry and it’s two big football nations who love football.”
“How he carries the team is absolutely incredible – there are no words,” said Tuchel when asked about the Argentina captain.
“In this tournament he is just the leader, and the key player in any team he plays.
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“When Messi has the ball, the movement starts. The technical delivery of Messi is on the highest level. There is a lot to take care of, but we are here to play our way in the semi-final. We are here to impose our style, our strengths.
“A lot of coaches have tried [to stop Messi]. He seems to always have another gear and another solution. He’s unique. We know his quality.
“We know how big the obstacle is. We know how big the ask is.”
Tuchel also spoke about how he likes to try to unwind during what has been a long summer camp.
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“Sometimes you just go on a bike, and you need a big parking lot and an ice cream in your hand,” he said.
“For 15 minutes, you feel like 15 years old. 15 not 50! You enjoy your evening in a warm summer for 15 minutes with an ice cream, and you reconnect to that beauty of that feeling which we all have inside of us.”
LSU is the latest SEC program to come out publicly against the ‘Protect College Sports Act’ in its current form.
Is Greg Sankey trying to align the stars to get his desired outcome?
On today’s episode of Locked On College Football, Spencer McLaughlin predicts how James Franklin’s first season with Virginia Tech is likely to go.
Will the Hokies just be battling to make a bowl game?
UCLA Football has some optimism with Bob Chesney at the helm for the first time in several years.
Will their first season see a return to postseason play with Nico Iamaleava at the helm?
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00:00 SEC and college sports politics 03:12 Debate over college sports bill 06:21 Opposing a sports legislation bill 12:20 Talking about Ethan Grunkemeyer 16:53 Virginia Tech football predictions 22:01 Discussing UCLA and Penn State Football 22:47 UCLA-Cal football payment and betting 25:59 Speculating on 2027 transfer portal
Dylan Cease looked well-rested as he pitched a dominant first inning at the MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday.
The hard-throwing right-hander struck out the side against the top of the National League’s lineup after throwing an MLB season-high 118 pitches in his previous start with the Toronto Blue Jays
Cease struck out Kyle Schwarber, Juan Soto and CJ Abrams, giving up a walk to the NL’s No. 3 hitter, Freddie Freeman, in between.
The Blue Jays ace challenged Schwarber with three straight fastballs to start the bottom of the first and eventually got him to chase a low slider for strike three.
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Cease was mic’d up on the FOX Sports broadcast and was heard talking through his pitch selection, including a particularly nasty changeup to Soto.
Soto then swung through a 98-m.p.h. heater on the outside edge, and looked bewildered by the pitch.
The broadcast congratulated Cease on a good start after the second strikeout, to which he coyly responded “Thank you.”
Cease threw 17 of his 25 pitches for strikes and got six whiffs on 15 swings.
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The Blue Jays’ marquee free-agent signing, Cease took a no-hitter into the ninth inning against the San Francisco Giants on July 8, before allowing a single to Heliot Ramos to start the frame. The 118 pitches were also a career high, surpassing the 114 he threw in his no-hitter with the San Diego Padres in 2024.
Four days later, the Blue Jays announced that Cease would start the All-Star Game. The other leading candidate, New York Yankees righty Cam Schlittler, withdrew from pitching in the Midsummer Classic earlier the same day.
But Toronto manager John Schneider, who also managed the American League team, said he would have chosen Cease regardless of Schlittler’s decision.
Cease has a 2.56 ERA in 98.1 innings while racking up an AL-best 148 strikeouts. He also leads AL starters in WAR, as calculated by FanGraphs, at 3.7, checking in ahead of Schlittler (3.6) and Minnesota Twins ace Joe Ryan (3.1).
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The 30-year-old joined Dave Stieb (1983, 1984), David Wells (2000) and Roy Halladay (2009) as the only Blue Jays pitchers to start an All-Star Game.
Clayton Douglas, based in Mornington, is embracing the increased demands of his role after recently taking over the reins at the Anthony and Sam Freedman stable.
The Freedman father-and-son training team were sidelined for 28 days last month following the conclusion of an inquiry into an accidental race-day treatment.
Douglas has stepped into the role of ‘caretaker’ trainer and has seen his stable numbers double, humorously remarking, ‘I was born for this’.
While he manages the Freedman horses, his own have not been neglected. His Everest winner, Giga Kick, is in training and is being prepared for a first-up tilt at the Group 1 Moir Stakes (1000m) at Sandown in September.
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With Giga Kick taking pride of place in the Douglas stable, the focus shifts to Mr Waterville as the jumps season draws to a close.
Douglas, who has previously won the Grand National Hurdle as a jockey, has the prestigious race on the agenda for Mr Waterville at Sandown next month. A part of the jumper’s program includes the Deane Lester Flemington Cup 1849 (2800m) at Flemington this Saturday.
Mr Waterville, a winner of the Australian Hurdle at Sandown in May, has been a standout performer over the jumps this campaign, and Douglas believes the gelding can perform well on the flat this Saturday.
In his most recent flat race, Mr Waterville finished eighth over 2540m at Flemington on June 20. When previously trained by Chris Waller, who retains a share in the gelding’s ownership, he secured a second-place finish in a 2800m contest on Melbourne Cup Day.
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“He’ll have a little tick over run on Saturday before he runs in the National,” Douglas said.
“The 2800 (metres) at Flemington will suit him. He ran really well there over the 2500 (metres) last time and he’s been a good performer over the 2800 at Flemington before.
“He ran second at that distance on Cup Day, so we know the trip will be no problem, and for what we’ve seen on the flat recently, I’m sure he might be one of the chances, especially with no weight on his back.”
With two significant prize money races on offer to conclude the jumps season in Victoria, Douglas is considering his options for Mr Waterville.
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The $250,000 Grand National Hurdle (4200m) appears to be a strong target, while the $350,000 Grand National Steeplechase (4500m) at Ballarat on August 16 is also being contemplated.
“He’s had a long preparation, but the jumping has been the trick to getting him going,” Douglas explained.
“He’s been able to get some good prize money in the last eight weeks and hopefully he can keep going towards some of the bigger jump’s races.
“There’s the Grand National Hurdle on August 2 and then we’ll just sum things up, but there is a chance he may switch into the Grand National Steeplechase a fortnight later.
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“I am mindful it is his first jumping campaign, and I’d love to get him back down to Warrnambool to win a Brierly or the Grand Annual next year with him.
“I think we took the sting out of him in the Lafferty (over jumps most recently when second) by backing him up seven days after his Flemington run, so he might go into the National Hurdle a little bit fresher.”
Betting markets for the Grand National Hurdle are available at betting sites.
France star Rayan Cherki has refused to blame the officiating for his side’s defeat in the FIFA World Cup semi-final against Spain. Les Bleus failed in their bid to reach a third successive final, losing 2-0 against the Spanish side in Dallas.
Cherki spoke to reporters after the game, turning away from blaming the referee for his side’s disappointing performance. He pointed out that the problem was that his team failed to play to their full potential, while their opponents had no such problems.
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“It’s a big disappointment. It’s not about the ref. We didn’t play the football we’re used to play; while Spain did”, he said (via @FabrizioRomano on X).
Rayan Cherki was a second half substitute for France as he made his sixth appearance of the FIFA World Cup, all of which have come off the bench. He replaced Michael Olise after 72 minutes as Les Bleus boss Didier Deschamps sought to spark a response from his team.
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Cherki was asked about the referee because Deschamps, in his own post-match media engagement, had questioned the qualifications of the referee to officiate a match of this magnitude. The midfielder disagreed with his coach, preferring to admit that the team itself did not perform at the level that was required to win.
France were favourites heading into the clash due to their impressive record in the first six games of the tournament, as they had won all six. They came undone against Spain, who beat them in a third successive semi-final, having done so in Euro 2024 and the UEFA Nations League last summer.
France lose in bid to reach third successive FIFA World Cup final
France have failed in their attempt to reach the final of the FIFA World Cup for a third successive edition. Les Bleus fell to a 2-0 defeat against Spain, who have now extended their unbeaten run to 37 games.
La Roja took the lead after 22 minutes, when Lamine Yamal won a penalty off Lucas Digne. Mikel Oyarzabal stepped up and dispatched the penalty, scoring his fifth goal of the tournament for Spain.
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France tried but failed to match the quality on show from Luis de la Fuente’s side, and they doubled their advantage in the 58th minute. A well-worked passing move saw them go from back to front with precision, and Pedro Porro slid a finish beyond Mike Maignan for his second goal of the tournament.
Les Bleus largely failed to trouble their opponents, succumbing to a demoralizing defeat in Dallas.
England take on Lionel Messi and co in Atlanta on Wednesday seeking to seal a place in Sunday’s MetLife Stadium showpiece.
The Three Lions secured their place in the semi-finals with a narrow 2-1 extra-time victory against Norway in Miami, where the unusually ineffective Rice was withdrawn at half-time.
Tuchel revealed after the quarter-final that the Arsenal star had been bedbound for three days in the build-up to the tie having fallen unwell after the last-16 trip to Mexico.
Declan Rice trained with the squad ahead of England’s semi-final against Argentina (Getty)
Rice has also been dealing with nagging hamstring pain since Christmas but he trained with his team-mates at their Kansas City base before flying to Georgia on Tuesday.
However, Tuchel is confirmed that Rice is well in contention to start the seismic semi-final after making a successful recovery.
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“Everyone is fit to start, except Jarell [Quansah] and Jordan [Henderson]. Declan [Rice] is ready to start and [had] as good a recovery as possible,” he said.
Fellow midfielder Jordan Henderson was the only member of the 26-man squad not to train on Tuesday having undergone arm surgery following his nasty fall in Mexico.
Versatile defender Jarell Quansah took part but his red card at the Estadio Azteca means he will sit out Wednesday’s semi-final as he completes a two-match ban.
Right-back Reece James is pushing to start having returned from a three-game absence with a hamstring issue as a second half substitute against Norway.
Spain produced an absolute masterclass in control to secure their place in just their second World Cup final – leaving the rest of the world stunned at how France were blown away.
Les Bleus went into Tuesday’s eagerly anticipated semi-final as overwhelming favourites having cruised through the tournament, with the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise making them an attacking force to be feared.
But while many were questioning how France could be beaten, Spain reminded everyone why they are European champions and unbeaten in a record-equalling 37 matches by running out 2-0 winners.
Luis de la Fuente’s men have rather flown under the radar at this World Cup – even failing to beat debutants Cape Verde in their opening match – and teenage superstar Lamine Yamal has scored just one goal.
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But they appear to have hit peak form at the right time and, having kept a clean sheet in six of their seven games, can expect to be favourites for Sunday’s World Cup final, where they will face either Argentina or England.
France, meanwhile, must prepare for the third-place play-off after being frustrated by a midfield masterclass and managing just three attempts on target.
“Spain scalped France – they flattened France,” said former Premier League champion Chris Sutton, who was at the game for BBC Radio 5 Live.
“We have given France so much praise in this tournament, but they were swatted aside by silky Spain. In the main, Spain have outfought and outplayed this French team.”
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Roy Keane – another Premier League winner – said on ITV: “France were not playing as a team. Brilliant individuals not playing as a team.
“Spain have been absolutely brilliant – an absolute joy to watch.”
When De la Fuente was appointed Spain boss in December 2022, some referred to him as: “Luis de la Who?”
Spain – world champions under Vicente del Bosque in 2010 – are used to being led by high-profile personalities, and de la Fuente was viewed as a low-key federation appointment after his time in charge of the nation’s under-19s, under-21s and under-23s.
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But the 65-year-old has given an emphatic response to the doubters.
Having led Spain to a Nations League triumph in 2023 and Euro 2024 glory, he has now guided them to the World Cup final.
If England win in Atlanta on Wednesday, they will set up a repeat of the European Championship final of two years ago.
However, many nations are still sweating over major concerns to top players. England have been dealing with a defensive injury crisis for much of the tournament and while that appeared to easing with Reece James making a return, Declan Rice‘s fitness is now up in the air after being struck down with illness ahead of the quarter-final clash with Norway. He was deemed fit enough to start the clash but looked out of sorts and was replaced at half-time.
Spain have seen their winger options limited since the end of the group stage, with Yeremy Pino and Victor Munoz still out, but that hasn’t stopped them as they stormed to the final. France, the team they beat in the semi-finals, will hope to go home on the minor high of victory in the third-place play-off, but will likely have to do it without William Saliba after he was forced off injured against La Roja.
See below for a full list of key injuries at this year’s World Cup.
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Declan Rice (England)
Rice’s tournament has been hampered by injuries with neural back pain forcing England to manage his workload. This saw him miss England’s group-stage finale against Panama, but he has started both knockout games since.
He was then struck down by illness ahead of the quarter-final with Norway, and despite recovering enough to make the starting line-up after missing two days of training, he looked out of sorts and was replaced at half-time.
Rice did train on the eve of the Argentina clash to boost hopes of the midfielder starting in the semis, with Thomas Tuchel confident of his availability.
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Declan Rice missed training due before the Norway clash due to a sickness bug (Getty)
Reece James (England)
James has been out of action for England for their last three World Cup outings, once again unable to feature in their stunning round of 16 win over Mexico as he recovers from a hamstring problem.
His absence has been compounded by injuries to right-back alternatives in the England squad though he was finally able to return to fitness against Norway in the quarter-finals, coming off the bench.
Reece James of England in the group stage (PA Wire)
William Saliba (France)
Everything went wrong for France in their semi-final defeat to Spain, not least the loss of influential defender William Saliba to injury.
Saliba went down untouched on the ball and immediately looked dejected, with it quickly becoming apparent the Arsenal man would not be able to continue.
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He faces a race against time to be fit for France’s third-place play-off on Saturday but Arsenal will fear their star centre-back has suffered a longer-term injury, whose 2025/26 season was maligned by numerous fitness setbacks which saw him miss a combined 12 matches for club and country.
William Saliba suffered a setback against Spain (Reuters)
Yeremy Pino (Spain)
The Crystal Palace winger suffered a collarbone injury against Uruguay and there were fears he could miss the rest of the tournament.
Those were allayed when Spain said X-rays showed Pino had not sustained a fractured collar bone but an acromioclavicular sprain.
However, he is yet to play any minutes for Spain since the group-stage injury.
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Yeremy Pino suffered a collarbone injury against Uruguay (Reuters)
Jordan Henderson (England)
Brentford midfielder Henderson was thought to be ruled out for the World Cup after sustaining a freak injury in the aftermath of England’s win over Mexico – but that may not be the case.
Henderson leaped over the advertising hoarding but fell awkwardly and snapped his arm. He underwent surgery before returning to England’s Kansas City base, opting to remain with the squad until the end of the campaign rather than go home.
However, in a stunning development, Henderson was included among the substitutes to face Norway in the last-eight and says he will “cross the bridge” of potentially featuring in the semi-finals “when we come to it”.
Jordan Henderson sporting his cast ahead of England’s quarter-final (PA)
Facundo Medina (Argentina)
Argentina are dealing with another defensive injury blow after Medina hobbled off with a calf problem in their last-32 clash win over Cape Verde.
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That match saw the return of Cristian Romero after the Tottenham centre-back suffered a knee injury in the group stage, but Lionel Scaloni has another headache to deal with after Medina’s withdrawal, with the defender then missing their controversial last-16 victory with Egypt. He was once again absent for their quarter-final win over Switzerland.
Facundo Medina of Argentina (AP)
Victor Munoz (Spain)
New Liverpool signing Munoz has been absent for the entirety of the World Cup so far after sustaining a calf injury in the build-up to the tournament. He then suffered a further setback when he was diagnosed with another muscular injury.
New Liverpool signing Victor Munoz has not featured for Spain so far this World Cup (Getty)
Deschamps is one of only three people to win the World Cup as a player and manager – alongside Brazil’s Mario Zagallo and West Germany’s Franz Beckenbauer.
His longevity as manager is also rare in the current era – having led the national team for 14 years.
He won 20 of his 26 World Cup games as France boss, only losing three times – including this defeat by Spain in Texas.
As a player or manager he was involved in over half of the games France have ever won at World Cups – and the only two times they have lifted the trophy.
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Only three teams before now have reached the quarter-finals at least in four successive tournaments.
More might have been expected from this side with joint tournament top scorer Kylian Mbappe, plus Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele and rising star Michael Olise of Bayern Munich, in front of an established defence and midfield.
“There was extra motivation for all the players at this World Cup to give Didier the ending he wanted, and deserved,” said former France striker and BBC pundit Olivier Giroud.
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“He deserved to exit by the big door. He did not quite manage that but he is still a great, for what he has already done in his 14 years.
“His record does the talking for him.”
Giroud, who won the 2018 World Cup under Deschamps, added: “I think he is like a second father for some players, like a second dad.
“For me it was not quite like that, but he gave me so many times his confidence, and I tried to repay him on the pitch.
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“This makes us very close and because we won that World Cup, we are linked forever.
“I always call him coach.
“When you are in the national team, you don’t have much time to work on tactics and each manager has their philosophy.
“For Didier, his was more like ‘you are big players, I leave you some freedom on the pitch’. He gave some instructions too of course, to keep the balance, so you always knew where each player would be.
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“The biggest thing he taught us was his desire, and his drive and ambition to be the absolute best and to win every single game. His competitive mindset was so clear.”
Spain booked their place in the FIFA World Cup final after producing a disciplined and impressive performance to beat tournament favourites France 2-0 at Dallas Stadium.
Luis de la Fuente’s side combined solid defending with excellent control of possession to end France’s hopes of reaching a third consecutive World Cup final.
Mikel Oyarzabal gave Spain the lead in the first half from the penalty spot after France left-back Lucas Digne brought down Lamine Yamal inside the penalty area. The striker calmly converted the spot-kick to put Spain ahead.
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Instead of sitting back, Spain continued to dominate the game. Their midfield controlled possession, while their defence gave France’s dangerous attack very little space to create chances.
Pedro Porro doubled Spain’s lead in the second half after playing a neat one-two with Dani Olmo before finishing confidently at the near post.
France, who had been one of the most exciting attacking teams at the tournament, struggled to break down Spain’s organised defence. Their first shot on target did not come until the 81st minute, showing how well Spain frustrated Kylian Mbappe and his teammates.
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Rodri was outstanding in midfield, breaking up France’s attacks and controlling the tempo of the game. Fabian Ruiz also impressed alongside him, while Spain’s backline remained compact throughout the match.
Spain have now conceded just one goal in the tournament, highlighting the defensive strength that has taken them to the final.
For France, the defeat ends their dream of lifting the World Cup. A mistake by Digne for the opening goal and an injury to defender William Saliba made life even more difficult for Didier Deschamps’ side, who failed to produce the attacking football they had shown earlier in the competition.
Spain will now face the winners of the second semi-final between England and Argentina in Sunday’s World Cup final as they chase their second world title. France will play in the third-place play-off, which will also mark the end of Didier Deschamps’ 14-year reign as head coach.
UCLA Football has some optimism with Bob Chesney at the helm for the first time in several years. 
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