A high-stakes international football semi-final clash between two former champions unfolded on July 14 in front of a capacity crowd at Dallas’ stadium, with Spain claiming a dominant 2-0 win over France to book their spot in the tournament final. Both sides entered the fixture having navigated a strong group stage and won all their knockout matches in regulation time, leaving them fresher heading into the semi-final than the two other remaining contenders in the competition. Refereed by Ivan Barton, the match got off to a cautious start, with both teams testing each other out and taking barely any attacking initiative in the opening exchanges, resulting in a largely uneventful first 45 minutes of play.
Ten minutes into the match, Spain earned a promising opportunity to break the deadlock when Álex Baena stepped up to take a free kick just on the edge of the French penalty area. However, his effort hit the French defensive wall without posing any real threat to France’s goalkeeper. A few minutes later, French winger Michael Olise committed a reckless foul on Spanish midfield anchor Rodri, but referee Barton opted not to issue any punishment, allowing Olise to escape without sanction. After 15 minutes of play, Ousmane Dembélé played a perfectly weighted through ball to star forward Kylian Mbappé, who spotted Spanish goalkeeper Simon off his line. The Spanish backline reacted quickly, however, and blocked Mbappé’s attempt before he could get a clean shot off.
In the 20th minute, Spain was awarded a penalty after French full-back Lucas Digne made an awkward, ill-timed challenge on Lamine Jamal inside the box. Mikel Oyarzabal stepped up to the spot and coolly slotted his effort past French goalkeeper Mike Maignan, putting Spain up 1-0. In the 38th minute, Fabián Ruiz came close to doubling Spain’s lead after a slick series of passing combinations, but Dayot Upamecano made a last-ditch block to deny the Spaniard and keep the scoreline intact heading into halftime. France had a handful of late chances in the closing minutes of the first half, but star man Mbappé was caught offside on multiple attempts, while Olise turned the ball over repeatedly, breaking up French attacking momentum before it could develop. With no further goals scored, the two teams went into the halftime break with Spain holding a narrow 1-0 lead.
The pattern of play remained largely unchanged after the interval. Spain closed down all passing lanes to France’s key playmakers, restricting the French side to very little space to build their attacking rhythm. The Spanish controlled possession through the middle of the pitch, led by their midfield talisman Rodri, and avoided taking unnecessary risks that could let France back into the match. Mbappé and his attacking teammates were unable to penetrate Spain’s compact defensive shape or disrupt their steady circulation of the ball.
The second goal for Spain came after a neat one-two combination between Dani Olmo and full-back Pedro Porro, who finished the move to put Spain up 2-0. Just after the hour mark, Lamine Jamal found the back of the net for what would have been Spain’s third goal, but the strike was ruled out for an offside call. In the final minutes of the match, France pushed hard in desperate search of a goal to get back into the tie, but Spain held firm defensively to preserve their clean sheet and 2-0 advantage. With the win, the European champions advanced to the tournament final, where they will await the winner of the second semi-final match to be played between the other two remaining contenders.