Spain denied powerhouses France their third straight entry into the World Cup final after defeating the Les Bleus 2-0 in the semifinal at the Dallas Stadium on Wednesday (July 15). La Roja kept the dangerous French side, led by modern-day icon Kylian Mbappรฉ, at bay to reach their second final, where they will face either Argentina or England.ย
Spain’s defensive prowess and precise strikes were enough to take them past the French side. Mikel Oyarzabal scored from the spot, while Pedro Porro put one into the back of the net in the 58th minute in a stellar win. Once again, Spain kept a clean sheet and have achieved a huge record in FIFA World Cups.
This was the sixth time La Roja had kept a clean sheet in this World Cup, marking the first time a team has kept six clean sheets in a single World Cup edition. Unai Simรณn has also kept six clean sheets as well in the tournament after saving four more shots in the semifinal. “They were facing the best team in the world,” Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said of his players.
Spain creates penalty record in World Cups
Lamine Yamal earned a penalty when Lucas Digne kicked him in the box, as the Aston Villa defender was trying to get hold of the ball. The referee pointed to the spot as Oyarzabal scored the penalty to open the scoring sheets. This propelled La Roja to the most goals scored from penalties in a World Cup: 17, which saw them go past England and France (16).
La Roja had only two shots on goal, and they converted on both of them, while the Les Bleus had four attempts on goal but could not convert. France would rue that Mbappe didn’t had a shot at goal, with all his three attempts being off target.ย “It’s a team who loves to have control of the game, control of the ball. That’s what we let them do,” said Mbappรฉ. “It’s difficult when you don’t change the play of Spain.”
Spain have now extended their unbeaten streak in regular time to 37 matches (28 wins and nine draws) since March 2024. The loss broke France’s joint-longest streak of six consecutive World Cup wins and also their hopes of a third straight entry into the final.
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