What we're watching
• Spain advances to the final for the first time since 2010 after dominating France, 2-0. A goal from Pedro Porro added to Mikel Oyarzabal’s penalty kick opener.
• Kylian Mbappé’s Les Bleus were unable to break the Spanish defense throughout the match, with rare attempts on the goal.
• We’ll be watching tomorrow’s semifinal between defending champion Argentina and England at 3 p.m. ET to see who will play Spain in the final
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A tough blow for Didier Deschamps
My heart goes out to Didier Deschamps, the head coach of France.
Deschamps has said that after 14 years at the helm, he’ll step down as Les Bleus manager at the end of this tournament.
Yes, his team will still take part in the match for third place but this is no fitting end to such a glorious reign.
His team has badly underachieved today against, I will say, a superb Spanish side.
Didier is one of just three men ever to win the World Cup as both a player and a manager.
His storied legacy is secure but this is not how it was meant to end.
Spain has come a long way since its opening match
Just a reminder, this Spain team was in an apparent crisis after drawing the first game of the tournament 0-0 against Cape Verde.
There was panic over the coach, the tactics and whether this team actually had the players to fulfill its supposed potential. Just ask Patrick.
Now, just under a month on, this Spain team has cruised into the World Cup final where it will no doubt be favorite against whoever it plays – either England or Argentina.
It’s been a roller-coaster tournament.
Stunned France's campaign ends with a whimper
Not many would have predicted a shutout for France before this semifinal encounter but, in truth, Didier Deschamps’ team was outshone and outclassed by a far superior opponent.
From the first minute of the game, France looked off the pace and off color and barely laid a glove on Spain.
Maybe we witnessed this French team with rose-tinted glasses in its comprehensive victories against Sweden, Paraguay and Morocco in the knockout stages because when it faced its toughest test, France simply had no answers.
It’s the end of the road for Didier Deschamps and a team whose talents are undeniable but again failed to deliver on the biggest stage.
We will see France again in the third-place game on Saturday, but it’ll be little consolation as France will left to rue what could’ve been.
Full-time: Spain defeats France to book a spot in the final
Spain is on its way to the World Cup final for the first time since 2010 after a comprehensive 2-0 victory over France in the first World Cup semifinal.
It was a complete performance from La Roja, getting a first-half goal from Mikel Oyarzabal from the penalty spot and a second-half insurance strike from Pedro Porro. That was all they needed as the French, so dominant throughout the tournament, couldn’t unlock the strong Spanish defense.
Just seven minutes left for Spain to hold on
At 2-0 up, it should feel comfortable for Spain but this semifinal is still on edge.
The 90 minutes are up but we’ve now gone into seven minutes of stoppage time.
Can France pull off a miracle? It’s desperation time now.
No rhythm, no rhyme to France's play
All three knockout ties played in Texas were settled at the very death but thanks to Spain’s supremely commanding display, and France’s below par performance, you feel like there’s very little jeopardy as we enter the closing stages.
France’s frustration can best be summarized by Kylian Mbappé picking up a yellow card for a foul on Spanish goalkeeper Unai Simón.
Despite the high stakes, there’s been no spark or cohesiveness in France’s attack, which has oddly looked devoid of ideas and inspiration.
Didier Deschamps has been in charge of France for 14 years.
He is now minutes away from ending that reign at the semifinal phase of this World Cup, having guided France to victory in 2018 and runners-up in 2022.
Has Deschamps got any dice left to roll?
Time and the odds are stacking up against France and Didier Deschamps.
He’s already brought on Desiré Doué and Rayan Cherki to freshen up his attack but you feel he may have to be even bolder if France is going to find a way to get back into this match.
He does still have forwards Marcus Thuram and Jean-Philippe Mateta on the bench and could decide to sacrifice one of his midfielders, most likely Aurelien Tchouaméni, to give Kylian Mbappé more support upfront.
Deschamps has been criticiszd in the past for being too cautious and defensive but he may now have no option but to throw the kitchen sink at the cause to get a foothold back in the game.
A comeback isn't impossible -- just ask Argentina
It was at roughly this stage of the proceedings that Argentina went about overturning that 2-0 deficit against Egypt in the round of 16.
Those three goals in 13 minutes represented the most extraordinary comeback in World Cup history.
That’s the scale of the task now facing France, but it’s hard to imagine that they’ve got anything like that in them here, Spain have just suffocated the life out of them.
Spain readies itself for its biggest defensive test
Spain has only conceded once in this World Cup but its defenders are surely about to face their biggest test in the final 15 minutes.
France will start throwing everything at the Spanish backline, with Kylian Mbappé desperate to pull his nation back into this semifinal.
Spain manager Luis de la Fuente just made two more subs to help with energy levels, as Pedri and Mikel Merino come on for Fabián Ruiz and Dani Olmo.
This match is going to be wide open until the end now.
France finally tests Simón
It’s taken over an hour but France has finally tested the palms of Spanish goalkeeper Unai Simón through Kylian Mbappé.
The Real Madrid star creates a bit of space for himself but his shot is parried behind by Unai Simón, with the resulting corner coming to nothing.
Soon after that the forward tries another effort but Marc Cucurella gets a vital foot in to deflect it for a corner.
France goes short but again it doesn’t lead to a chance.
Mbappé looks the most likely but time is ticking.
A vital second half hydration break team talk awaits. Can Didier Deschamps inspire a comeback?
He’s certainly rolling the dice as the tricky winger Rayan Cherki comes on for Michael Olise who’ll be disappointed with his afternoon’s work.
No love for Jerry Jones in Big D
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who drove the building of this stadium outside Dallas, is booed when he appears on the jumbotron.
More of a reaction for that than for some of the action here on the field, which seems to suggest this is quite a local crowd. Surely not many fans in Spain or France would have any idea who he is.
It might soon be time for Spain’s defender Marc Cucurella to pick out his color of ink. Before the tournament kicked off, he said that he’d get a tattoo of his coach Luis de la Fuente’s face on his bicep if Spain went all the way and lifted the trophy.
The needle might soon await him – so far this is just painful for France.
Spain's death by 1,000 cuts is on full display here
With that second hydration break, we are now three quarters of the way through this semifinal, and it is looking close to over.
France tried to step it up and push the matter more as the second half kicked off, but Spain’s defense – behind the strong performance of Aymeric Laporte – held firm and again never looked in trouble. Then came the breakthrough with Pedro Porro’s goal to put Spain up 2-0.
Lamine Yamal started to do bits of magic down the right to open up Les Bleus a bit more in other parts of the pitch and that played a big role in the second goal.
I know this isn’t must-see TV for a lot of neutrals, but this is what Spain does: It whittles you down, makes you tired and just frustrates you to no end as an opponent.
If La Roja scores a goal, it’s an even tougher task as they grow into their confidence and start making more incisive passes and quicker movements. This is the death by 1,000 cuts style of play that won Spain the 2010 World Cup combined with a bit of the flair of the 2024 Euros win.
We’ve still got a bit of the way to go, but I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
Almost 3-0 to Spain!
What is happening here…
Lamine Yamal just had the ball in the back of the net but his goal was rightly ruled out for offside. It was close though.
That would have been game over.
France must now throw all caution to the wind
France is floundering badly and in serious danger of exiting the tournament.
They are 2-0 down. Barely a foothold in the game.
Kylian Mbappé has had the fewest touches of any player on this pitch - there’s just no space for the Real Madrid star to get into game and unleash his attacking intent.
Didier Deschamps has brought on Desiré Doué for teammate Bradley Barcola – a change he’s often made at this tournament— to give France’s attack another dimension, which it desperately needs to have any chance of keeping its World Cup dreams alive.
The historical omens, though, don’t favor the French.
Only two sides have progressed from a World Cup semifinal having trailed at halftime.
Deschamps’ side faces a monumental task to get back into this game.
Goal! Spain 2-0 France
It’s nothing more than this Spanish team deserves.
France hasn’t turned up and gets punished by a wonderful goal from Spain.
With all the attacking talent on display, few would have predicted Pedro Porro would be a goalscorer, but the defender must be the most popular person in Spain at the moment.
France needs to find something quickly or this game is over.
Shots are at a premium in Texas
As if to emphasize that we’re not being treated to the champagne football that was advertised, the stats have just been flashed up on the enormous jumbotron screen.
France have only managed to two attempts on goal to Spain’s six, and only Spain have managed anything on target – a paltry one.
Spain starts the second half like it finished the first
What on earth is happening to France? The tournament favorite just hasn’t turned up yet in this semifinal.
Spain is the team on the up again in the early stages of this second half, already creating a few half chances to double its lead.
Lamine Yamal is getting a lot of attention from the French defenders but has found small pockets of space which have looked dangerous at times.
Spanish fans probably can’t believe their luck at the moment. But surely France will start clicking soon.
Koné replaces Rabiot in midfield
We suspected that France would shake up its midfield at halftime and Didier Deschamps has done just that.
AS Roma’s Manu Koné has come on to replace Adrien Rabiot, who was on a yellow card.
There’s also been a tactical reshuffle in the attacking department with Michael Olise moving out to the right wing and reigning Ballon d’Or holder Ousmane Dembélé moving into the central, No. 10 role to support Kylian Mbappé.
Aymeric Laporte having a great game at the heart of Spain's defense
One man who will be very pleased with that first half is Spanish centerback Aymeric Laporte.
The 32-year-old has helped to keep France’s frightening frontline quiet for the first time this tournament, using his power and reading of the game to stay one step ahead.
Laporte was actually born in France and played for the French national youth teams during his childhood.
But after securing Spanish nationality in 2021, the defender switched his allegiance and has since become a cornerstone of La Roja.
The second half is here
The referees have whistled the end of halftime.
In the first half, Mikel Oyarzabal’s penalty shot gave Spain the lead, but unsatisfied with just a 1-0 lead, La Roja stayed aggressive in creating goalscoring opportunities.
Meanwhile, the French attack, while not as potent as we’ve seen throughout this tournament, has shown it can find ways to mount pressure on the Spanish goal quickly.
Both defenses have been rock solid to this point. But France will have to crank up the intensity if it wants to really put Spain on its heels in this second half.
