Spain earned a spot in the World Cup final for the first time since 2010 after defeating France 2-0 in the first semifinal match on Tuesday.Spain’s defense delivered another dominant performance, shutting out a France attack led by Kylian Mbappé.Mikel Oyarzabal put Spain on the board in the 22nd minute, finding the back of the net on a penalty kick. Pedro Porro scored Spain’s second goal in the 58th minute off an assist from Dani Olmo.Follow along for highlights, reaction and analysis from Spain’s semifinal victory.Today’s live updates have ended. Read more AP World Cup coverage here.What to know:Up next: England and Argentina face off for a spot in the final on Wednesday at 3 p.m. EDT at Atlanta Stadium.Spain advances: Spain heads to the World Cup final for the first time since 2010 and will face the winner of Argentina-England at New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday. Golden Boot race: Despite being held scoreless, Kylian Mbappé still has the tiebreaker in the Golden Boot race with eight goals and three assists. That could change Wednesday as Lionel Messi, who also has eight goals, takes the field against England.
Mbappé says France will try to send Deschamps out with a win
Kylian Mbappé said France will play hard in the World Cup’s third-place match for coach Didier Deschamps.Deschamps has said he will step down as France’s coach after the World Cup. He won it as a player in 1998, and again as a coach in 2018. He also led France to the 2022 final.Mbappé said Tuesday’s semifinal loss to Spain won’t change Deschamps’ legacy.“Nothing changed about what Didier means to us as a French people. As a manager, as a player, he wrote an amazing story,” the France captain said. “There’s one game left for him, so we’re going to try to play the best game for him because he deserves it, and also the fans deserve to have a win and finish third in this World Cup.”France will play for third place against the loser of the Argentina-England semifinal.
