"Today we faced one of the best national teams in the world… but in front of them they had the best team in the world," Luis de la Fuente reflected after his Spain side beat France 2-0 in Dallas. The win booked a place in the final, and it also left the record books in dispute. The Guardian counts 38 competitive fixtures without defeat; FOX Sports makes it 37, which would draw Spain level with Italy's historic mark.
The breakthrough came on 22 minutes, Mikel Oyarzabal sending the goalkeeper the wrong way from the penalty spot. The penalty was Lamine Yamal's work. A day after turning 19, he dragged Lucas Digne into the foul.
France tried to change the picture. Spain answered in the second half. On 58 minutes Pedro Porro, later named man of the match, worked a one-two with Dani Olmo and made it two. There was no reply. "Technically we were second best," Didier Deschamps admitted. Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé, the two men France leaned on, spent the night trapped in the Spanish defensive vice.
The French machine simply stalled. Spain, a sixth clean sheet of the tournament behind them, are in a World Cup final for the first time since 2010. Their control cast doubt over France's push for a third straight final and made the case that this side is peaking now. On Sunday, at the New York New Jersey stadium, one step separates them from a second gold star
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