Spain Advances to World Cup Final with 2-0 Win Over France

Spain is headed to the FIFA World Cup final for the first time since 2010 after defeating France 2-0 in the tournament's first semifinal.

La Roja delivered a dominant performance, taking the lead in the first half when Mikel Oyarzabal converted a penalty kick. Pedro Porro added an insurance goal in the second half as Spain's defense held France scoreless.

The victory marks a remarkable turnaround for Spain, which opened the tournament with a scoreless draw against Cape Verde. That result sparked questions about the team's tactics, coaching, and ability to compete for a championship.

Less than a month later, Spain has put those doubts behind it and advanced to the World Cup final with an impressive run through the tournament.

France entered the semifinal after dominant knockout-stage victories over Sweden, Paraguay, and Morocco, but struggled to find its rhythm against Spain. The French attack was unable to break through Spain's organized defense throughout the match.

The loss ends France's hopes of another World Cup title and concludes its run in the championship race. France will now play in Saturday's third-place match.

Spain advances to the World Cup final, where it will face the winner of the second semifinal between England and Argentina.

Originally reported by Kyle Feldscher, Aleks Klosok, and Ben Church, CNN.