World Cup 2026: Spain leads France at halftime after penalty (0-1)

14.07.26 FT World Cup

France

0

:

Spain

2

After a high-octane first half in Dallas, Spain leads France (0-1) in the 2026 World Cup semi-final, courtesy of a penalty coolly converted by Oyarzabal.

The tempo was set as early as the 9th minute, when Adrien Rabiot picked up an early yellow card for a foul on Dani Olmo at the edge of the box. But it was in the 22nd minute that the match took a dramatic turn. Lucas Digne mishandled a cross and brought down Lamine Yamal, resulting in a clear-cut penalty awarded by Ivan Barton. Mikel Oyarzabal made no mistake, firing past Mike Maignan to score the very first goal conceded by France in this World Cup.

Read also: World Cup 2026 / France - Spain: Mbappé and Yamal start, official lineups announced!

The setbacks kept piling up for Les Bleus. William Saliba was forced off with an injury in the 31st minute, replaced by Maxence Lacroix, while Marc Cucurella also went into the book for a foul on Michael Olise.

However, the end of the half saw both sides try their luck from distance, but the scoreline remained unchanged at the break.

Mahdi Zakaria LAZRI |

Editor

Football web writer creating digital sports content with a focus on news, analysis and stories that reflect passion, accuracy and objectivity.

Related teams and leagues

France

Spain

World Cup