FIFA World Cup 2026: Spain reaches the final, defeats Mbappé’s France 2-0.

The second semi-final will be between Argentina and England

Arlington. Spain defeated France 2-0 in the FIFA World Cup semi-finals on Tuesday to reach the final for the first time since 2010. Mikel Oyarzabal scored a penalty to give Spain the lead, while Pedro Porro sealed the victory by scoring the second goal.

Young player Lamin Yamal, who came on the field a day after his 19th birthday, had a goal ruled out due to a very close offside decision. This opportunity came soon after Spain took a 2-0 lead in the 58th minute thanks to excellent coordination from Pedro Porro and Dani Olmo.

However, Yamal’s intelligent game-reading proved crucial in giving Spain an early lead. Spain will now face the winner of the other semi-final between defending champions Argentina and England to be played in Atlanta on Wednesday in the final in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Sunday.

France, which holds the top position in the FIFA rankings, and its star striker Kylian Mbappe were attempting to become only the third team in history to reach the World Cup finals for the third time in a row.

After this defeat, France will now compete for the third place in Miami Gardens, Florida on Saturday. The final will be played on Sunday at MetLife Stadium near New York City. For the third consecutive year, Spain has defeated France in the semi-finals of a major tournament on football’s biggest stage.

Yamal scored in a 2–1 win against France in the semi-finals of the 2024 European Championship, just days before his 17th birthday. Last year also in the UEFA Nations League, Spain defeated France 5-4.

Yamal said after last Friday’s quarter-final win over Belgium that France should fear Spain. The result of the semi-finals proved his point right. Mikel Oyarzabal scored a penalty for Spain in the 22nd minute. The penalty was awarded when French defender Lucas Dinay fouled Lamin Yamal in the penalty area while attempting to clear the ball away.

Dinye’s first header was not hit correctly, after which he tried to clear the ball away.

Then Yamal approached quickly from behind and challenged for the ball. During this, the ball bounced and hit Yamal’s elbow and the next moment Dinye’s kick also hit him. Dinye, who is playing in his 63rd international match for France, is just six days away from his 33rd birthday.

This was Oyarzabal’s fifth goal of the current World Cup. With this, for the first time in the tournament, one of the two teams had to lag behind in seven matches. This is Oyarzabal’s 30th goal in 60 international matches for Spain.

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