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Spain's Pedro Porro celebrates with his arms raised in joy after defeating France 2-0 in the tournament's semifinal held at Dallas Stadium in Texas on July 14 (local time), securing a spot in the final. Porro delivered a stellar performance throughout the match, including scoring the decisive insurance goal. / Photo courtesy of Xinhua, Yonhap News

The Invincible Armada, Spain, has advanced to the final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after defeating the world's strongest team, France. Showcasing its spectacular offensive power, rock-solid defense, and tight teamwork, Spain once again proved why it is considered the most formidable title contender in this tournament.

Spain defeated France 2-0 in the tournament's semifinal match held at Dallas Stadium in Texas on July 14 (local time). With this victory, Spain secured a spot in the final for the first time in 16 years since winning the 2010 South Africa World Cup, leaving them just one match away from claiming their second World Cup title and back-to-back major trophies following their Euro 2024 triumph. Their opponent in the final will be the winner of the semifinal between England and Argentina.

Spain also rewrote the record books. With this win, they extended their undefeated streak to 37 consecutive A-matches, tying the record for the longest unbeaten run in men's international football history, previously held by Italy.

Their performance throughout this World Cup has been nothing short of dominant. After starting with a 0-0 draw against Cape Verde in the group stage, they blanked Saudi Arabia 4-0 and edged past Uruguay 1-0 to advance to the knockout stage as the top seed. Since then, they have rolled over Austria (3-0), Portugal (1-0), Belgium (2-1), and now France, racking up an overwhelming record of six wins, one draw, 13 goals scored, and only one goal conceded across seven matches.

On the other hand, France, which set its sights on reaching a third consecutive World Cup final following the 2018 Russia and 2022 Qatar editions, failed to break through Spain's highly refined system. Despite fielding a world-class frontline featuring Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, and Michael Olise, they were completely shut down, failing to register a single shot on target during the entire first half.

The deadlock was broken in the 20th minute. While trying to clear a cross coming in from the left flank, France defender Lucas Digne kicked the foot of a surging Lamine Yamal inside the penalty area, resulting in an immediate penalty kick. Mikel Oyarzabal stepped up as the kicker and calmly sent the ball into the back of the net to claim the precious opening goal.

With momentum on their side, Spain put the game away early in the second half. In the 58th minute, Pedro Porro dismantled the defensive line through a brilliant give-and-go pass with Dani Olmo and calmly finished the subsequent one-on-one chance against the goalkeeper, making it 2-0. It was a decisive strike from Porro, a player familiar to Korean fans for his link-up play with Son Heung-min during his time at Tottenham Hotspur.

The main reason Spain is evaluated as the top favorite to win this tournament lies in its flawless balance between offense and defense. In attack, Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo lead quick passing plays and organic position-switching to rattle opposing defenses, while Rodri and Fabián Ruiz perfectly dictate the tempo of the game from the midfield. On top of that, intense pressing applied right from the front line cuts off the opponent's build-up play, allowing Spain to maintain a firm grip on the game's initiative.

Their defense is equally impeccable. Having conceded only a single goal in seven matches during this tournament, their defensive teamwork is awe-inspiring. Not only the center-backs but also the fullbacks actively join the pressing game to choke out open spaces, and their speed in transitioning into counterattacks after winning possession is considered the best in the world. Spain's greatest strength is that all players move as one giant, organic system rather than relying on individual star power.

With this victory, Lamine Yamal continued his perfect record against Mbappé, winning all six of their high-stakes, single-elimination matchups. Having won in the Euro 2024 semifinals, the 2025 Spanish Super Cup final, the Copa del Rey final, the UEFA Nations League semifinals, the 2026 Spanish Super Cup final, and now this World Cup semifinal, Yamal has firmly established his dominance in this next-generation rivalry.

"We started with a single football philosophy about four years ago, and we are standing here today because we believed in and stayed true to that philosophy," head coach Luis de la Fuente said after the match. "Today, we played against one of the strongest national teams in the world. But standing in front of them was the best team in the world, which is even stronger. That was the difference today," he added, expressing immense pride in his team's flawless performance.

                                                                                                         Cheon Hyun-bin