In the early morning of July 15 (Vietnam time), Spain played bravely to defeat France with a score of 2-0. Mikel Oyarzabal opened the score from the penalty spot in the 22nd minute, before Pedro Porro sealed the victory in the 58th minute.
The highlight of the match was the clash between two stars Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal. Although not directly scoring, Yamal still left his mark with a dribble that caused Lucas Digne to foul in the penalty area, earning a penalty to help Spain break the deadlock.
In the opposite direction, Mbappe experienced a match that was not as expected. The French captain had a few notable opportunities, including a shot in the 67th minute that went narrowly wide of the post. However, against Spain's disciplined defense, Mbappe could not make a difference.
This result extends Yamal's streak of favorable matches against Mbappe. Before the semi-final match at the 2026 World Cup, the two players had faced each other 10 times at both club and national team levels. After the 2026 World Cup semi-final, Yamal continued to be the one with a slightly better head-to-head record.
Notably, at the national team level, Spain both won in the last three times Yamal and Mbappe both participated. In the EURO 2024 semi-finals, Yamal scored in the 2-1 victory of "La Roja". In the 2025 UEFA Nations League semi-finals, the midfielder born in 2007 scored a double to help Spain win 5-4 against France. And in the 2026 World Cup semi-finals, coach Luis de la Fuente's team continued to overcome "Les Bleus" with a score of 2-0 to win the right to the final.
While Spain is taking another step towards the world championship, Mbappe and the French team will have to aim for the third-place match after a World Cup that ended with much regret.
