Spain delivered a masterclass in ruthlessness to outwit France 2-0 on Tuesday in Dallas and move into the final of the 2026 World Cup.
Luis De la Fuente's side seized control of the semi-final mid way through the first-half when France defender Lucas Digne fouled Lamine Yamal in the penalty area.
Referee Ivan Barton awarded a penalty and Mikel Oyarzabal swept the ball firmly to the left of France goalkeeper Mike Maignan into the goal.
It was the first time France had trailed during the World Cup.
And their woes increased five minutes after falling behind. Defensive stalwart William Saliba went down with an injury and was replaced by Maxence Lacroix.
The pyrotechnics of the vaunted forwards Kylian Mbappé, Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembélé failed to ignite.
Instead, it was the Spain skipper Rodri who shone. With midfield enforcers Aymeric Laporte and Pau Cubarsi, he denied the French flair merchants the time and space to unleash their wizardry.
Rodri continually switched play to full-backs Marc Cucurella on the left and Pedro Porro on the right.
Defender turns poacher
And it was on one of Porro's forward forays that Spain doubled their advantage.
He played a pass to Dani Olmo who sent the ball back to him. Porro advanced into the penalty area and slotted a shot elegantly past Maignan into the net.
France, who had scored 16 goals on their way to the semis required two more strikes in 30 minutes for parity against a team who had conceded only once in the six previous games.
There was no breach.
Spain, who won the title in 2010, will play the winners of Wednesday's semi-final between defending champions Argentina and England at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sunday.
"I'm so happy," said Porro after the game. "I scored but it's not about me, it's about our team.
"I knew it would be tough game because France are so good but we kept the right attitude from the beginning to the end."
Rodri hailed the calmness of his teammates.
"I think that we're showing the character of being so much more mature in certain moments and in big moments," he told Fox Sports.
"And this is for me, the most important thing. To wait for your moment in the game and to not get crazy because that's when opponents can punish you.
"I think the composure is the key of this team."
