Spain beat France 2-0 in the first World Cup semi-final at Dallas Stadium in Arlington on Wednesday morning, Australian time, and will meet England or Argentina in Sunday's final.
Mikel Oyarzabal put Spain ahead from the penalty spot in the 22nd minute after Lucas Digne caught Lamine Yamal in the box with a mistimed clearance. Pedro Porro doubled the lead in the 58th, playing a one-two with Dani Olmo and side-footing past Mike Maignan in front of 70,176.
Kylian Mbappe, who came into the night sharing the tournament's scoring lead on eight goals, got nothing. France did not put a shot on target until after Spain's second, two of their three attempts on target came in stoppage time, and Mbappe's main contribution by the 85th minute was a booking for a frustrated foul.
Possession was almost even at 51-49, but the game was not. Spain's expected goals came in at 1.63 to France's 0.30, and the win stretched their unbeaten run to 37 matches, equal to the record for a European side.
“Today we faced one of the best national teams in the world, but in front of them they had the best team in the world. That is the difference," Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said. Didier Deschamps kept his assessment short: "We fell short and weren't as dangerous in attack as we could have been, making technical errors.”
The match carried an uglier subplot. Former Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy wrote in El Debate before the game that, for all France's strengths, "one thing they don't have is any French players", a line French federation president Philippe Diallo said carried "intolerable whiffs of racism" and which Rajoy insists was taken out of context. France midfielder Warren Zaire-Emery answered it before kick-off: "This French team has players from different backgrounds and origins. So does the country ... We are a united group, a united team."
For Australian viewers the second semi-final comes quickly. England play Argentina in Atlanta on Thursday at 5am AEST, live on SBS, with Lionel Messi also sitting on eight tournament goals. The Socceroos' campaign ended at the same Arlington stadium earlier this month, on penalties to Egypt in the round of 32.
The final is at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey early on Monday morning AEST. Spain, unbeaten in 37, wait there for whoever survives Atlanta.
