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🇰🇷 South Korea /Sports

Spain beat France 2-0, seal place in World Cup final

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News From a news agency Context piece
  • Spain defeated France 2-0 in the 2026 World Cup semifinals to advance to the final.
  • Spain aims for its second World Cup title, extending its unbeaten streak to 37 matches.
  • France struggled offensively, with Kylian Mbappé unable to score, and faced an early injury to defender William Saliba.

Spain booked their place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final with a commanding 2-0 victory over France in Tuesday's semi-final in Arlington, Texas. The "unbeatable Armada" dominated the match, completely overpowering a strong French side.

Spain booked their place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final with a 2-0 victory over France in Tuesday’s semi-final in Arlington, Texas.

— FIFAReporting on Spain's victory over France.

Mikel Oyarzabal opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 22nd minute after Lamine Yamal drew a foul inside the box. Pedro Porro then doubled Spain's advantage in the 58th minute, sealing the win with a well-worked team goal. This victory marks Spain's pursuit of their second World Cup title, having previously won in 2010. It also extends their impressive unbeaten run to 37 matches, placing them third in the all-time record alongside Italy.

Mikel Oyarzabal opened the scoring from the penalty spot after Lucas Digne fouled Lamine Yamal, before Pedro Porro doubled La Roja’s advantage in the second half following a flowing move orchestrated by Dani Olmo.

— FIFADescribing the goals scored by Spain.

France, who were aiming for their third World Cup final appearance, struggled to find their rhythm. They failed to register a shot on target in the first half and found it difficult to break down Spain's organized defense. Kylian Mbappé, who had been a consistent scorer throughout the tournament, was unable to find the net. The team also suffered a blow when key defender William Saliba was substituted due to injury in the 28th minute.

Oyarzabal converted from the spot in the 22nd minute after referee Ivan Barton awarded Spain a penalty for Digne’s challenge on Yamal.

— FIFADetailing the first goal.

Spain will now face the winner of the second semi-final between Argentina and England in the World Cup final on July 20. The loss ends France's hopes of lifting the trophy again and likely halts Mbappé's bid for the Golden Boot, as he currently shares the lead with Lionel Messi.

This is Oyarzabal’s fifth goal of the tournament and the first time either side had trailed during their World Cup campaign.

— FIFAHighlighting Oyarzabal's performance and the match's significance.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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