Spain beat France 2-0 in the World Cup semifinal on 14 July, but the score only tells part of it. The sharper number is Kylian Mbappé's output: 3 shots, 0 on target and a 5.9 rating across 90 minutes. For France's biggest threat to leave a game that quiet, especially in a semifinal, says plenty about how firmly Spain controlled France vs Spain.

Mikel Oyarzabal put Spain ahead from the penalty spot in the 22nd minute and Pedro Porro made it 2-0 in the 58th. Those were the decisive actions, but the shape of the match sat elsewhere. France never found a clean way to free Mbappé, and Spain turned that into the kind of win that felt comfortable long before the final whistle.

Mbappé's semifinal never got going

Mbappé's numbers were blunt. He completed only 16 passes, won 2 of 11 duels and picked up a yellow card on a frustrating night. Spain did not just keep him off the scoresheet, they kept him from setting the game's rhythm at all.

That is the strongest argument for how well Spain defended. Mbappé can still look dangerous with limited touches, but this time the touches themselves were the problem. France could not connect him often enough, and when they did, Spain usually had the next challenge ready.

There is a temptation to treat any quiet Mbappé game as an off night from the player. He is too good for that to be the full explanation here. Spain's structure deserves more credit than that, because the control lasted for the whole 90 minutes and because the rest of France never found a consistent route around it.

Even the duel count tells the same story. Winning just 2 of 11 is not just inefficiency, it points to a player being met early, crowded quickly and denied the easy one-v-one moments that usually swing a knockout game. Against elite opposition, that is what control looks like.

Rodri's control and Cucurella's work on the left

R. Hernandez summed up Spain's mood before the final when he told goal.com: "I'm here to win the World Cup." It is a clean line, but his semifinal performance matched it. Rodri made his seventh World Cup start of the tournament and again gave Spain the balance that lets their better attackers and full-backs play without the game becoming stretched.

He also told goal.com: "If anyone thinks we are going to win a World Cup without suffering, they are wrong." Spain did have to manage moments against France, but they never looked rattled. That calm is probably the clearest sign of a team that has grown into the competition rather than just surviving it.

On the left, Marc Cucurella deserves a lot of the same praise. He was not dribbled past once in the entire knockout stage of the World Cup, which is a serious number in any tournament run, never mind one that now includes a clean-sheet semifinal. His display against France was not flashy, but that was the point. Spain did not need drama from that side of the pitch because Cucurella kept it tidy.

He had already shown he could influence games going forward too, producing 2 assists against Austria without being dribbled past. That combination, defensive reliability first and useful attacking support second, has made him one of the more important players in Spain's run.

France had midfield talent on the pitch, including Aurélien Tchouaméni, but they never imposed themselves in a way that changed Mbappé's night. Spain were simply more coherent.

Spain look like a proper finalist

Spain's win was not built on chaos, a freak finish or one of those knockout matches that turns on a single wild spell. It was built on control, and the semifinal gave a pretty convincing version of what this team is now. They can score early, protect a lead and keep an elite forward on the edge of the game.

Rodri said the team had shown maturity and patience during the tournament, and that reads as fair rather than self-congratulatory after this result. Spain have carried those traits into the final, which is the real significance of beating France this way.

There is also a wider historical edge to Rodri's tournament. He could become only the seventh player to win the World Cup, European Championship, Champions League and Ballon d'Or. That is not the main story yet, and it should not distract from the match itself, but it does show the level of player Spain are leaning on.

For now, the semifinal belongs to Spain's defensive discipline as much as the goals from Oyarzabal and Porro. Mbappé's quiet night made that impossible to miss, and Spain will head into the final looking a lot more settled than Argentina or anyone else would want.

FAQ

Why was Kylian Mbappé so quiet against Spain in the World Cup semifinal?

Spain controlled the semifinal with defensive discipline and limited Mbappé's involvement. He played 90 minutes but had 3 shots, 0 on target, completed only 16 passes, won 2 of 11 duels and was booked. Those numbers point to a night where France could not get him into dangerous areas often enough.

How did Spain beat France 2-0 in the World Cup semifinal?

Spain beat France 2-0 on 14 July with [Mikel Oyarzabal](player:mikel-oyarzabal) scoring a 22nd-minute penalty and [Pedro Porro](player:pedro-porro) adding the second in the 58th minute. The scoreline mattered, but the bigger story was Spain's control, especially in the way they shut down Mbappé and kept France's main threat quiet.

What did Rodri say before Spain reached the World Cup final?

Rodri told goal.com: "I'm here to win the World Cup." He also said Spain expected suffering on the way and pointed to the team's maturity and patience during the tournament. His words fit a semifinal performance where Spain looked calm, organised and hard to shake against France.

How good has Marc Cucurella been in Spain's World Cup knockout matches?

Cucurella has been one of Spain's standout defenders in the knockout rounds. He was not dribbled past once in the entire knockout stage, and he carried that form into the clean-sheet win over France. He also produced 2 assists against Austria without being dribbled past.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 7 outlets. How we work →