Mikel Oyarzabal scored from the penalty spot after a heady play by teenager Lamine Yamal, Pedro Porro added another goal and Spain advanced to its first World Cup final since winning in 2010 with a 2-0 victory over France on Tuesday. A day after his 19th birthday, Yamal drew a foul when kicked by defender Lucas Digne in the penalty area in the 22nd minute. After a poor first touch with his head, Digne was trying to clear the ball when Yamal raced in from behind to challenge. The ball hit off the elbow of the leaping teen before he was kicked by Digne, playing in his 63rd game for France only six days before his 33rd birthday. Oyarzabal's penalty kick marked his fifth goal of this year's World Cup and the first time either team has trailed in their seven games in this tournament. It was his 30th goal in 60 international games for Spain. Porro's give-and-go with Dani Olmo in the 58th minute put Spain up 2-0. Yamal was denied a goal on a close offside call that came soon after Porro's goal.
Spain will face either defending champion Argentina or England on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey. They face each other on Wednesday in Atlanta. Kylian Mbappé and France, FIFA's top-ranked team, were trying to become only the third team to reach three consecutive World Cup finals. They instead will play in the third-place game in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Saturday, the day before the final at MetLife Stadium. This win marked the third summer in a row that Spain beat France in a tournament semifinal match. Yamal scored in a 2-1 win in the 2024 European Championship semifinals, and Spain won 5-4 in Nations League play last year.