Spain marches to World Cup final after blanking France

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Bienvenidos de nuevo, selección nacional de fútbol de España.

After a disappointing group-stage exit in 2014 and back-to-back round of 16 finishes in 2018 and 2022, La Furia Roja is back in the championship stage of the FIFA World Cup.

On July 15, 2026, Spain pulled off a massive 2-0 victory over favored France to earn a return ticket to the World Cup final at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

With the clinical win, Spain is on the verge of officially ending a 16-year men’s trophy drought and is aiming to replicate its magic from 2010, when it won its first FIFA World Cup championship by defeating the Netherlands, 1-0, in the final.

To suffocate France’s star-studded offensive attack, Spain relied on its signature defensive masterclass, led by Pau Cubarsi and Aymeric Laporte, who took turns neutralizing superstar striker Kylian Mbappe.

The center-back one-two punch marked Mbappe all game long, turning him into an ineffective scorer from the get-go until the final whistle sounded.

La Furia Roja needed only 22 minutes to draw first blood, with Lamine Yamal cruising past Digne and drawing a penalty.

Stepping up to give Spain the momentum-boosting 1-0 lead was Mikel Oyarzabal, who buried the ensuing penalty kick against France’s Mike Maignan.

No matter what adjustments France made to execute its offense, Spain’s patience and defensive discipline stole the show, preventing Mbappe and the rest of Les Bleus from gaining any scoring rhythm.

Thirty-six minutes after Oyarzabal’s penalty, Spain doubled its lead in the 58th minute, courtesy of Pedro Porro’s precise strike off a two-man game with Dani Olmo.

From that moment, everything went dark for France, as none of its offensive attacks paid dividends, except for one shining moment in the 82nd minute when substitute Desire Doue tried to score past Spanish goalkeeper Unai Simon.

To challenge Doue’s attempt, Simon rushed out toward the middle of the penalty area and the center circle, but the crafty goalkeeper was able to run back and complete the save.

“This is all down to the team; I can’t take credit. I just congratulate everyone, as they played great games,” Porro told Television Espanola after the win.

“We knew that to get close to the final we needed to have the ball. We knew that countering their strengths was key. And we did that. So we’re really happy.”