Spain led France 1-0 at halftime of their 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinal, and the scoreline undersells how thoroughly the Spaniards have controlled the opening 45 minutes at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Mikel Oyarzabal converted from the penalty spot in the 22nd minute after Lucas Digne hauled down Lamine Yamal inside the box, a call VAR confirmed following a brief review. Spain has since dictated the tempo, holding roughly 55-56 percent possession with Rodri controlling the midfield and Yamal working as the primary threat down the right. France, meanwhile, failed to register a single shot on target in the opening half.
Lamine Yamal, Rodri Power Spain’s Dominant First Half
Yamal’s foul-drawing run set the tone, and Spain has largely dictated terms from there. La Roja have chased knockout-round success against this exact opponent before, beating France in the 2024 European Championship semifinal and again in a 2024-25 UEFA Nations League semifinal that finished 5-4, according to ESPN‘s head-to-head database on the sides. That history hovered over the buildup to Tuesday’s match, and Spain has spent the first half reinforcing it.
France’s issues compounded in the 30th minute when William Saliba went down and had to be replaced by Maxence Lacroix, according to real-time updates posted on social media by users tracking the match from Arlington. Saliba anchors a French backline that came in without much margin for error, and his early exit leaves Didier Deschamps’ side further exposed against a Spain team already dictating the run of play.
Kylian Mbappé took the field regardless of the ankle knock that forced him out of France’s quarterfinal win over Morocco last week. Deschamps told reporters Mbappé was “100 percent” heading into the semifinal, according to Yahoo Sports‘ Andy Backstrom on Tuesday. Mbappé had scored eight goals through the tournament, averaging a goal every 65 minutes on the pitch, entering Tuesday’s match.
France Faces Uphill Battle Without William Saliba
Bookmakers had installed France as the moneyline favorite before kickoff, with the French listed at +135 on FanDuel Sportsbook against Spain’s +210, and France priced at -150 to advance to Sunday’s final compared to Spain’s +128, according to CBS Sports‘ Daniel Lewis. SportsLine handicapper Martin Green had backed the over on 2.5 total goals, pointing to Spain’s attacking numbers and France’s firepower up top, and predicted “it’s hard to see Spain keeping Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise, Désiré Doué, and Bradley Barcola at bay for 90 minutes.”
That forecast will now play out with Saliba on the bench and Spain up a goal. France carries bench depth and a track record of finding another gear after the break, but doing so without its first-choice center back raises the degree of difficulty considerably. Spain, for its part, has shown throughout the tournament it can protect a lead through possession, and a second-half script built around ball control and quick counters would suit a Spanish side that has now scored in bunches against this exact opponent, twice, in each of the last two competitive meetings.
VAR has become a running storyline this tournament, with roughly 0.5 decisions overturned per match, a rate higher than the last World Cup, according to Sofascore. Tuesday’s penalty review added another data point, and it broke in Spain’s favor.
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