Spain are in the World Cup final. On a sweltering evening in Arlington, they dismantled France with the efficiency of a team that already knows how good it is, a penalty from Mikel Oyarzabal in the 22nd minute and a Pedro Porro finish on 58 setting up a victory that was, in truth, rarely in doubt.
France arrived as the host nation's great hope. They left with ten shots, three of which troubled Unai Simón, and a yellow card for Kylian Mbappé to underline a night he would rather forget. Deschamps shuffled his deck repeatedly, moving through defenders at a rate that suggested the backline was more problem than solution. Saliba lasted 30 minutes. Rabiot was replaced at half-time having already been booked. The structural clarity Spain brought was the sharpest possible contrast, and it told from the opening exchanges.
The opening goal arrived from the spot. Oyarzabal converted in the 22nd minute, calm and precise, to give Spain the foothold their play had been asking for. They had controlled possession from the first whistle, finding passes in tight spaces through Dani Olmo and Fabián Ruiz and asking questions of a French midfield that lacked the authority to answer them. Tchouaméni worked hard throughout without ever imposing France's rhythm. Rabiot, replaced at the break, had offered little before departing.
The second goal, on 58 minutes, settled the contest entirely. Dani Olmo provided the assist and Porro finished, the right-back arriving into the area to convert with the composure of someone who had been doing it all evening. France had no response. Their seven corners produced nothing. Their six shots from outside the box came to nothing. Maignan, to his credit, did not need to make a single save, because Spain were content to do their damage and then manage the game with the ball. They are very good at that.
Pau Cubarsí was a commanding presence throughout. The Barcelona centre-back dealt with everything France could aim at him with a composure that most defenders take years to develop. Laporte alongside him was equally assured and rarely tested. When France did work the ball into dangerous areas, the Spanish defence simply did not panic. It was a back four in near-complete control.
Lamine Yamal probed and prodded on the right, never quite decisive but always a concern for Digne and whoever sat behind him. It was Olmo, deeper and more involved, who was Spain's best player in the attacking phase, his assist for the second goal the clearest mark on the scoresheet. Rodri, sitting at the base of the midfield, offered the platform without which none of it would have been possible.
France's best moments came in the first half, before the second goal had removed any remaining tension. Dembélé was bright in patches and finished the night as one of the more dangerous players in blue, which perhaps indicates how quiet others were. Mbappé, carrying a yellow card and surrounded by Spain's diligent defensive structure, rarely found the space he needed. The captain's night was a summary of France's as a whole: present, competitive, ultimately fruitless.
Spain have beaten France in a World Cup semi-final and will travel to the final with a week to prepare. They conceded nothing and, in keeping Mbappé scoreless and largely frustrated, they earned every bit of that clean sheet. France fall again at the penultimate hurdle. For Spain, one step remains.