ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) 鈥� Spain goalkeeper Unai Sim贸n sprinted off his line to beat a charging to the ball with France desperately seeking a goal in the semifinals.
While Sim贸n managed to get there first and head the ball away, he suddenly had the World Cup’s co-scoring leader between him and the net with France forward Desire Doue trying to get control of the ball.
Even in that rare moment of chaos late in the match, the structured Spanish defense and the standout keeper again didn’t allow a goal.
on Tuesday to advance to the World Cup final, 16 years after winning the title the only other time the team made it that far at the tournament. It was the record sixth shutout for Spain at this year’s expanded 48-team World Cup.
After the ball went directly to Doue off Sim贸n’s header, the keeper frantically sprinted back. Sim贸n managed to turn his body to get his back to the net and made a leaping, no-hands deflection on the edge of the area. He then needed several strides before finally being able to fall on the ball.
The latest shutout for Sim贸n and Spain came against FIFA’s top-ranked team, which had Mbapp茅 coming into the match with 20 goals in his 20 World Cup games. The France captain was the Golden Boot winner in 2022, and his eight goals in this year’s tournament are even with Argentina great Lionel Messi, the all-time leader with 21.
鈥淲e are very happy with the work that the team has done. Today we knew it would be a very complicated game with spectacular players, but I think we have them, too,鈥� Spain defender Pau Cubarsi said in translated remarks. 鈥淲e are a great family. We have helped each other for 90 minutes, we have pressed as never before.鈥�
Mbapp茅 had only three shots on Tuesday, none of them on target. France created no major scoring threats while missing out on a chance to become only the third team to reach three consecutive World Cup finals.
鈥淪pain has been able to defend well. I鈥檝e watched all of their matches, and today they鈥檝e done it very well,鈥� France coach Didier Deschamps said. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e closed out all the spaces and also we鈥檝e made some technical mistakes. So it is difficult to create problems when the technical level is below standard, especially compared to previous matches.鈥�
The only goal Sim贸n has allowed in this tournament was Belgium’s equalizer in the 41st minute of Spain’s 2-1 quarterfinal victory. That snapped his World Cup record of 650 scoreless minutes.
The semifinal match Tuesday came at the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, where eight days earlier in a round of 16 match for its record sixth consecutive World Cup match not allowing a goal. That included Sim贸n stopping two shots by 41-year-old , who was playing in the last of his six World Cups.
That World Cup shutout streak for Spain broke a tie with Italy (1990) and Switzerland (2006-10). It began with a 0-0 draw in the round of 16 in 2022, when Morocco advanced after a penalty shootout, and included a surprising this year.
of 517 consecutive scoreless minutes during a to open the knockout round.
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