Spain comfortably defeated France 2-0 in a masterclass performance at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas. 

This victory books La Roja’s ticket to their first FIFA World Cup final since 2010. Luis de la Fuente’s men completely strangled the life out of Didier Deschamps' heavyweight squad, making it three successive semi-final heartbreaks for Les Bleus against their Spanish rivals.

Mikel Oyarzabal opened the scoring from the penalty spot after a clumsy challenge from Lucas Digne, and Pedro Porro put the final nail in the coffin with a beautiful second-half strike. Striver.Football brings you player ratings for both squads after an unforgettable night in Texas.

France Player Ratings

Mike Maignan - 4

Maignan was far from his usual composed self, and his distribution let him down on a number of occasions, with Spain’s pressing traps rattling him all evening.

Jules Kounde - 5

Did a fine job running up and down the wing, and even zipped in a dangerous cross toward the end of the first half, but it was not enough.

Lucas Digne - 3

France’s worst defender on the night, as he gave away a clumsy penalty inside the box after failing to notice Lamine Yamal’s blindside dart into the box, kicking him in the process while attempting to clear the ball away.

William Saliba - NR

Limped off the pitch after 29 minutes, which will be a worry for Arsenal fans watching in anticipation of their new English Premier League season.

Dayot Upamecano - 5

Did an okay job using his recovery pace to cover large gaps left, but could not prevent the team from avoiding defeat to the Spanish.

Adrien Rabiot - 5

Was hooked off at half time after being overrun by the Spanish midfield in the first half, and did not generally have a good night all round.

Aulerien Tchouameni - 4

Spain’s three man midfield, as well as the overloads Alex Baena and Mikel Oyazarbal created made it difficult for him to marshal the midfield on his own.

Michael Olise - 3

Had a bad day in the office, with Spain doing a good job keeping him at bay with their counter-pressing approach all evening.

Ousmane Dembele - 3

Was quiet all afternoon, with Marc Cucurella managing to nonchalantly mark him out of the game, preventing him from being effective cutting inside from the right.

Bradley Barcola - 3

Was kept at bay by Pedro Porro, and struggled to make the runs that otherwise make him so dangerous.

Kylian Mbappe - 5

Tried his best, but was mostly isolated leading the line upfront on his own.

France Substitutes

Maxence Lacorix (William Saliba '29) - 6

On for the injured William Saliba and was probably France’s best defender on the night. Showed great composure under pressure from the opposition.

Manu Kone (Adrien Rabiot HT) - 4

Arguably made France’s midfield worse when he came on as a sub and struggled to impose himself in the game as Spain cruised to a relatively easy win.

Desire Doue (Bradley Barcola '52) - 4

Like Barcola, Doue really struggled to create for France, and never really got them going.

Rayan Cherki (Michael Olise '70) - NR

Theo Hernandez (Michael Olise '70) - NR

Spain Player Ratings

Unai Simon - 7

Made some good saves during the game, but was nearly found out on a number of occasions, with his teammates coming to his rescue.

Pedro Porro - 9

Had a glorious evening capped off with a goal from right back, as his energy bombing up and down the right wing helped Spain overwhelm France.

Marc Cucurella - 8

Did a stellar job marking Ousmane Dembele out of the game. Also helped create midfield overloads inverting, while at the same time, gave Spain an overlapping option whenever Baena drifted infield.

Pau Cubarsi - 8

Read all France attacks and dealt with the danger of Kylian Mbappe well.

Aymeric Laporte - 8

Just like Cubarsi, Laporte enjoyed a good evening at the heart of Spain’s defence with his ball playing skills as well as his reading of defensive situations to keep France’s attack at bay.

Rodri - 9

Marshalled the midfield like a proper general.

Fabian Ruiz - 9

Helped Rodri control the tempo of the game, making it hard for France to find a foothold in the game.

Dani Olmo - 8

Olmo’s space investigation helped Spain constantly create three on two situations, as his give and gos essentially helped create scenarios where they had numerical superiority which helped them deliver a win.

Alex Baena - 7

Definitely instructed to be more aware of his defensive duties here so France couldn't exploit Spain on the break. Played a key part in Spain dominating game as he exchanged passes with Olmo. 

Lamine Yamal - 7  

Not at his very best but certainly showed signs of what he's capable of as he ripped Digne apart time and time again, to the point the full-back was withdrawn by Deschamps. 

Mikel Oyazarbal - 9

Took his penalty brilliantly, slamming the ball into the far corner out of Maignan's reach. He dropped off the attack well and created numerical advantages in midfield, helping Spain gain control of the game they eventually went onto win.

While not a classic striker, he's certainly doing enough for Spain at this tournament and isn't letting them down with his work ethic and clinical finishing when chances arise.

Spain Substitutes

Mikel Merino (Dani Olmo, 78) NR

Pedri (Fabian Ruiz, 78) NR

Ferran Torres (Mikel Oyarzabal, 74) NR

Nico Williams (Alex Baena, 84) NR