Porro named MVP in France v Spain, La Roja make World Cup history (Video) | OneFootball

Spain is one step away from glory. Luis de la Fuente’s side comfortably beat France (2-0) at AT&T Stadium in Arlington and sealed qualification for the World Cup final. Pedro Porro, the former Sporting full-back, got on the scoresheet and made history.

The Tottenham player became only the second defender in Spain’s national team history to score two goals in the same World Cup edition. After Fernando Hierro, in both 1998 and 2002, the wing-back is the second to achieve this feat in the competition. The player had already scored against Austria. 

La Roja once again got the better of one of the main favourites for the title in a highly demanding match. France tried to set the tempo early on, but Spain did not take long to take control of possession and the central areas of the pitch. Lamine Yamal’s pace proved decisive in breaking the deadlock: the winger won a penalty after a challenge from Lucas Digne and Mikel Oyarzabal made no mistake from the spot, putting the Spaniards ahead before the break in the 22nd minute.

With the lead on the scoreboard, the Spanish team showed the composure that has defined their entire tournament. Rodri and Fabián Ruiz controlled the midfield, while the defence neutralised Kylian Mbappé and France’s powerful attack.

The decisive blow came in the second half. Dani Olmo played a superb pass to Pedro Porro in the 58th minute, and he arrived from the flank to beat Mike Maignan and score the goal that left the current world runners-up badly shaken. Spain will now play in a major World Cup final again 16 years later.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.