Match Summary · Spain · World Cup · Football · International · World Cup · France · Spain · Mikel Oyarzabal · Pedro Porro · Dani Olmo
| Metric | France | Spain |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 49% | 51% |
| Shots | 14 | 10 |
| Shots on target | 4 | 2 |
| Shots off target | 6 | 5 |
| Corners | 7 | 1 |
| Fouls | 11 | 12 |
| Yellow cards | 2 | 1 |
| Red cards | 0 | 0 |
| Offsides | 4 | 5 |
| Goalkeeper saves | 0 | 4 |
France's problems started early. Adrien Rabiot went into the book after 8'22'', and Spain struck at 21'52'' when Oyarzabal converted from the penalty spot for 1-0. Didier Deschamps had to shuffle the back line before the break when William Saliba went off at 29'36'' and Maxence Lacroix came on, while Marc Cucurella was booked at 30'28''.
France tried to change the rhythm after half-time, replacing Rabiot with Manu Kone at 45' and Bradley Barcola with Desire Doue at 56'10''. Instead, Spain landed the decisive blow at 57'33'': Porro finished Olmo's assist to make it 2-0. Further France changes brought on Theo Hernandez and Rayan Cherki in the 72nd minute, but Spain were comfortable as Ferran Torres, Mikel Merino, Pedri, Nico Williams and Marcos Llorente all entered late on.
Kylian Mbappe's booking at 85'46'' summed up France's frustration. The home side finished with 14 shots and seven corners, but Spain's defence held firm and Unai Simon's three saves kept the score untouched. For Spain, the result was built on ruthless moments rather than volume, and the highlights told the story of a side that took control and never let it go.