France 0–2 Spain: World Cup Semifinal Recap, Result & How Our Picks Did
Spain are into the World Cup final. Mikel Oyarzabal's first-half penalty and a second-half strike from Pedro Porro carried La Roja past France 2–0 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, and the reigning Euro champions did it the way they have done everything this summer: with the ball, with control, and without ever letting Kylian Mbappé breathe. Two of our three pre-match angles landed. Below is how the night unfolded, how our picks graded, and how it set up the MetLife final — where Spain went on to beat Argentina 1–0 after extra time on July 19 to win the World Cup.
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How Spain took control in Dallas
The semifinal followed the script Spain have written all tournament. Luis de la Fuente's side settled onto the ball early, moved France from side to side, and waited for the game to come to them. It arrived in the 22nd minute. Lamine Yamal drove at the France back line, drew a foul from Lucas Digne inside the box, and Oyarzabal stepped up to convert the penalty for 1–0. It was the sort of moment the 18-year-old has produced again and again this summer, and it handed France a problem they had not faced once in this World Cup: chasing the game.
France had not trailed at any point in the tournament before that penalty. Now they had to open up against the best possession side left in the draw, and that is the worst version of this matchup for Didier Deschamps. Spain were happy to keep the ball, protect the lead, and pick their moments. The second goal came in the 55th minute, Pedro Porro finishing to make it 2–0 and effectively settling the tie with more than half an hour still to play.
The match inside the match went Spain's way completely. Mbappé, France's one certain match-winner, was smothered — 15 touches and no shots in the first half, starved of the space in behind that makes him the most dangerous forward in the game. Spain's high line held because Spain so rarely gave the ball away in dangerous areas, and the clean sheet they closed out was their sixth of the tournament. France, the 2022 finalists, fall short at the semifinal stage for a second straight World Cup. Spain march on to their first final since they won the whole thing in 2010.
How our picks did
We went into this one with three angles. Here is the honest scorecard: two of three landed, including the two that decided the result.
- Spain to advance — won. The lead pick cashed cleanly. Spain never needed extra time or penalties; they controlled 90 minutes and closed it out at 2–0.
- Under 2.5 goals / Both Teams To Score — No — won. The tactical read on a cagey, low-event tie held up. Two goals total and France blanked, so both sides of that correlated angle came in.
- Mbappé anytime scorer — lost. The one that got away. Spain's entire plan was built around keeping Mbappé quiet, and it worked: no space, no shots in the first half, no goal.
Two from three, and the two that mattered most for the outcome — Spain advancing and the low total — both landed.
How the final ended: Spain 1–0 Argentina (AET)
The bracket delivered the final everyone wanted, and it landed in New Jersey's own backyard. Spain met Argentina on Sunday, July 19, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford — the reigning Euro champions against the reigning world champions — and Spain got the job done, winning 1–0 after extra time to lift the trophy an hour from Manhattan.
Ferran Torres settled a goalless final in the 106th minute, off a Nico Williams assist, and Spain's seventh clean sheet of the tournament held to make them world champions for the first time since 2010. With the World Cup now over, the forward markets at NJ books turn to the next World Cup cycle and the fall NFL season. Confirm every number in the FanDuel or Fanatics app before you bet.
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All World Cup coverage is on the World Cup 2026 betting hub. The other semifinal: England 1–2 Argentina recap & how our picks did.