Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon raced off his line to beat a surging Kylian Mbappe to the ball as France pushed desperately for a way back into Tuesday's World Cup semifinals.
Simon got there first, heading the ball clear, but briefly found himself stranded outside his penalty area with the World Cup's co-leading scorer behind him and France forward Desire Doue closing in on the loose ball.
Even in that frantic late sequence, Spain's disciplined defense and Simon's composure held firm, denying France the breakthrough it desperately needed.
Spain secured a 2-0 victory to reach its first World Cup final since lifting the trophy in 2010. The clean sheet was Spain's tournament-leading sixth of the expanded 48-team World Cup, underlining the defensive resilience that has powered its run to the final.
After the ball went directly to Doue off Simon's header, the goalkeeper frantically sprinted back. Simon managed to turn his body, get his back to the net and make a leaping, no-hands deflection on the edge of the penalty area. He then took several strides before finally falling on the ball.
