Spain captain Rodri was 15 years old when La Roja won their only World Cup in 2010 and understands how monumental that accomplishment was.
So defeating France 2-0 in a semifinal on Tuesday in Arlington, Texas — denying Les Bleus a third straight final appearance — was almost too much to comprehend.
“It means a lot,” the Manchester city midfielder said on FOX Sports. “We have only been (to the World Cup final) twice in our history. It’s so difficult to arrive here but we want to win this World Cup.
“We need to rest, see what we can improve and we can expect an even tougher game in the next one.”
After Mikel Oyarzabal’s penalty in the 22nd minute, Pedro Porro doubled the count in the 58th.
Spain, the 2010 champions, will play Sunday in East Rutherford, N.J., against the winner between reigning champion Argentina and England on Wednesday in Atlanta. France will play in the third-place match on Saturday in Miami.
“It’s an immense disappointment. Today we lost against ourselves. We didn’t lose against the referee, we didn’t lose against Spain, we lost against ourselves,” French midfielder Rayan Cherki said. “You all know that everyone was scared of us. The only team who were capable of eliminating us was ourselves. Today is terrible.”
France seemed invincible in the tournament, with an unblemished record and a combined 16-2 goal differential against the first six opponents. But the Spaniards were confident after beating their rival in their past two meetings in semifinals — the 2025 Nations League and the 2024 European Championships en route to that title.
“We showed the character we have in the team and how mature we are in big moments,” Rodri said. “In certain moments and in big moments, and this is for me the most important thing, to wait for your moments, to not get crazy if they punish you because they are a very good team. Composure is the key of this team.”
Spain were in control from the start and France trailed for the first time in the tournament when Oyarzabal scored his fifth goal of the World Cup with a shot to the upper right corner.
Lamine Yamal, a day after his 19th birthday, drew a foul by Lucas Digne on the right side of the box.
A long cross by Marc Cucurella was popped in the air by Digne. As he attempted a volley, Yamal snuck in behind him and as the ball hit his left shoulder, Digne kicked him in the left thigh, prompting Yamal to fall.
Spain — who now own a 37-match unbeaten streak (30 wins, seven draws) to tie Italy’s European record — continued to play with a collective calmness that France were unable to rattle.
“It’s difficult to describe my feelings. But I think it’s something similar to happiness, and pride, as I always say, to manage this group of exceptional players like this one,” Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said to Television Espanola. “We want to keep going, keep improving still. We have one step left yet and we’ll go for it.”
Spain doubled the score when Porro completed a give-and-go with Dani Olmo at the top of the box on the right side. Olmo was challenged by Dayot Upamecano, leaving Porro unmarked to take two touches before striking.
“We were beaten technically, we were beaten tactically, we were beaten in the duels,” Cherki said. “Today is a really big disappointment.”
French coach Didier Deschamps, who will end his 14-year run with the national team on Saturday, coached his 26th World Cup match to break a tie with West Germany’s Helmut Schon for the most in history.
“There is one game left for him and we have to play the best game for him because he deserves it and the fans deserve it, to finish third in this World Cup,” France forward Kylian Mbappe said.
France were seeking to become the third nation to qualify for three straight finals, joining West Germany (1982, 1986 and 1990) and Brazil (1994, 1998 and 2002). The French won the World Cup in 2018 and were runner-up to Argentina in 2022.
That meant nothing to La Roja.
“Today we faced one of the best squads in the world, but in front of them (France), they faced the best team in the world,” de la Fuente said to FOX Sports. “That was the difference. It’s a big plus. These players deserve everything because they demonstrate day by day their commitment, their solidarity, their talent. It’s a pleasure to see them play. Today they gave us a show.”
–Field Level Media
