Spain snuffed out France’s dream of a third World Cup triumph, taming their galaxy of forwards to win 2-0 and progress to a final against England or Argentina.
Didier Deschamps’s men were hot favourites for the trophy after a string of breathtaking displays in the United States, but they met their match against the slick European champions at the semifinal stage on Tuesday.
Mikel Oyarzabal opened the scoring for the 2010 winners with an emphatic penalty in the first half in Arlington, Texas, and Pedro Porro doubled their lead in the second half.
Shell-shocked France could not find a way back into the match despite their wealth of attacking riches.
The game at Dallas Stadium caught fire midway through the first half when Salvadoran referee Ivan Barton pointed to the penalty spot after a reckless challenge by France left-back Lucas Digne on Spain winger Lamine Yamal.
Oyarzabal hammered the ball past France goalkeeper Mike Maignan for his fifth goal of the World Cup to leave France trailing for the first time in the tournament.
Minutes later, France suffered another blow when centre-back William Saliba had to leave the pitch after a recurrence of his lower back injury, and was replaced by Crystal Palace defender Maxence Lacroix.
Spain went agonisingly close to extending their lead after some dazzling one-touch football, but Dayot Upamecano’s challenge denied Fabian Ruiz.
France finished the half without a single shot on target and just two attempts overall.
Deschamps threw on Desire Doue for Bradley Barcola in the 57th minute in a bid to supercharge his attack, but a minute later, they were 2-0 down after a stunning team goal for Luis de la Fuente’s men.
Defender Porro delivered a sharp pass to the feet of Dani Olmo on the edge of the box and collected the return ball before coolly slotting past Maignan.
Deschamps threw on Theo Hernandez and Rayan Cherki after the second hydration break in a desperate bid to get back into the match.
But France could not find a way back into the game against solid opponents who refused to yield.
Spain have conceded just once in the entire tournament, combining defensive steel with the trickery of winger Yamal in attack.
They are now just 90 minutes away from winning the first-ever 48-team World Cup as they seek to match the achievement of Vicente del Bosque’s team 16 years ago.
The defeat in Texas is a bitter blow for a French team that has enthralled fans at the World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
France had reached the past two World Cup finals, winning in 2018 in Russia, and losing on penalties to Lionel Messi’s Argentina four years ago in Qatar in an epic final despite a hat-trick from Mbappe.
Real Madrid forward Mbappe was just one cog in a star-studded attack that also included Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele and the elegant Michael Olise.
Defeat leaves just the third-place playoff for France coach Didier Deschamps, who is stepping down after the tournament following 14 years in charge.
Meanwhile, Porro told Television Espanola that the victory was a “dream come true”.
“This is all down to the team; I can’t take credit. I just congratulate everyone, as they played great games,” he said.
“We knew that to get close to the final we needed to have the ball. We knew that to counter their strengths was key. And we did that. So we’re really happy.”
