Yamal's cleverness earns Spain lead over France at half time

The penalty awarded to Spain in the 20th minute separated La Roja from France in the first half of the first semi-final of the FIFA World Cup 2026 at Dallas Stadium.

It was Lamine Yamal who won the penalty for his team. Lucas Digne tried to clear a high ball inside the penalty box, but as the ball went up and he turned to kick it away, Yamal seized the opportunity. He rushed towards Digne and placed himself in the path of the defender's attempted clearance.

The referee had little hesitation before pointing to the spot. Although the contact from Digne was unintentional, Spain were handed a golden opportunity, and Mikel Oyarzabal made no mistake from the penalty spot to give his side the lead.

After taking the lead, Spain had the upper hand over France, while Les Bleus struggled to find their rhythm on the pitch. Their attacks lacked the sharpness they had shown in their previous games. Unai Simon also made some crucial interventions, while Kylian Mbappe continued to trouble the Spanish defence with some dangerous runs.

In the 38th minute, France almost gifted Spain a chance to double their lead. A poor clearance from Mike Maignan was won by Spain high up the pitch. After some brilliant one-touch football, they created an opportunity for Fabian Ruiz, but Dayot Upamecano made a timely challenge, with the ball deflecting off him for a corner.

In the opening minutes of the game, France coach Didier Deschamps' decision to bring in Bradley Barcola proved effective, as the forward made some dangerous runs into the Spanish penalty area and provided an attacking threat.

In the 10th minute, Spain had a golden opportunity when Adrien Rabiot brought down Dani Olmo on the edge of the box, earning La Roja a free-kick in a dangerous position. However, Alex Baena's effort struck the French wall, and Spain failed to capitalise on the chance.

At the other end, Ousmane Dembele delivered a cross towards Kylian Mbappe, who was charging into the Spanish box. With three defenders tracking him, many expected the France captain to take a shot, but the Spanish defence closed him down and prevented him from getting an attempt away.

The winner of the France-Spain clash will face either Argentina or England in Sunday's World Cup final.

Lineups:

France: Mike Maignan; Jules Kounde, Dayot Upamecano, William Saliba, Lucas Digne; Aurelien Tchouameni, Adrien Rabiot; Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise, Bradley Barcola; Kylian Mbappe (captain).

Spain: Unai Simon; Pedro Porro, Pau Cubarsi, Aymeric Laporte, Marc Cucurella; Rodri (captain), Fabian Ruiz, Dani Olmo; Lamine Yamal, Alex Baena, Mikel Oyarzabal.