Spain booked their place in the World Cup final with a commanding 2-0 win over France in Dallas on Tuesday night, and it was Barcelona’s own Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi and Dani Olmo who did much of the damage.
According to FIFA’s official match report and widespread broadcast coverage of the semi-final, Mikel Oyarzabal opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 22nd minute after Yamal was hauled down by France full-back Lucas Digne inside the box. Pedro Porro then doubled Spain’s advantage in the 58th minute, finishing off a defence-splitting pass from Olmo to send La Roja through, exactly the collision of Barcelona interests the club had been bracing for all day.
Cubarsi Marshals Spain’s Defence As Yamal Torments France
Cubarsi was central to keeping Kylian Mbappe quiet throughout, with the Barcelona centre-back credited by Spanish outlets for a crucial recovery challenge that snuffed out one of France’s few clear openings. Yamal, who turned 19 last week, had a second goal ruled out for offside just after the hour mark but remained Spain’s most dangerous outlet all night, continuing the World Cup form that has kept Barcelona watching closely throughout the tournament.
Spain will now face the winner of Argentina against England in Sunday’s final, chasing a first World Cup title since 2010. For Barcelona supporters, seeing three first-team players start and shine on the sport’s biggest stage is a timely confidence boost heading into Hansi Flick’s third season, with the trio due back at the Ciutat Esportiva once the World Cup run finally ends.
