A clinical and disciplined Spain advanced to their first FIFA World Cup finals in 16 years after edging out neighbors France 2-0 in a high-octane semi-final clash at the AT&T Stadium on Tuesday. A first-half penalty from Mikel Oyarzabal and a brilliant second-half strike from Pedro Porro sealed a memorable win for La Roja, crushing France’s dreams of reaching a third straight final.The win marked the third summer in a row that Spain have knocked out France at the final stage of a major tournament, following their triumphs in the semi-finals of Euro 2024 and last year’s Nations League. Teenage sensation Lamine Yamal, who celebrated his 19th birthday just a day earlier, proved to be the architect of destruction once again, validating his pre-match warning that France should fear this Spanish side.Spain opened the scoring in the 22nd minute after Yamal’s sharpness caught the French defense off guard. Veteran French defender Lucas Digne mistimed a header in his own box, allowing a sprinting Yamal to steal in from behind. In a desperate attempt to clear the danger, Digne kicked the teenager, prompting the referee to point directly to the penalty spot.Mikel Oyarzabal calmly rose and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to net the fifth goal of the tournament. The strike marked the first time a heavyweight nation had trailed at any point in the entire World Cup campaign.France, the highest ranked team in the world, struggled to find their usual rhythm as Kylian Mbappé was kept quiet by a resolute Spanish backline. Spain completely took the game away from Les Bleus in the 58th minute. Pedro Porro started a nice sequence of passing from-and-go with Dani Olmo before driving a powerful shot into the net to make it 2-0.Yamal almost added a third moments later, but his close-range finish was ruled out by a narrow offside call. France threw bodies forward late in the game but failed to break down the organized Spanish defence.Spain will now travel to East Rutherford, New Jersey, for Sunday’s grand final at MetLife Stadium, where they will face defending champions Argentina or England. Meanwhile, a disappointed French team will head to Miami Gardens on Saturday to compete in the third-place match.