Perfect France, almost-perfect Spain leave semi perfectly poised

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP):
Kylian Mbappé and France haven’t trailed at all at this year’s World Cup. Neither have Spain with teenage sensation Lamine Yamal and clutch goal-scoring substitute Mikel Merino.
Only one of those teams can make it to the final.
France and Spain are both playing at their 17th World Cup, but have met only once previously on football’s biggest stage. They play today at the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys in the first of two powerhouse semi-final matches.
After entering this tournament as FIFA’s top-ranked team, France have outscored opponents 14-2. Mbappé, the 2022 Golden Boot winner, has eight goals to match Lionel Messi for the scoring lead, and is one behind the Argentina captain’s career record of 21 at the World Cup.
The 27-year-old Mbappé has 20 goals in his 20 World Cup matches, including one in the 2018 win over Croatia when he joined Pele as the only teenagers to score in a World Cup final. And the star striker for Les Blues had said he is fine despite exiting in the 77th minute of their 2-0 quarter-final win over Morocco after scoring a goal.
Yamal, who turned 19 yesterday, has already been part of two semi-final wins with Spain over France. He was just days shy of his 17th birthday when he scored in a 2-1 win during the 2024 European Championship semi-finals, and Spain won again in Nations League play last year.
“I believe if France has to fear anyone, it should be us, in my opinion,” Yamal said after Spain’s quarter-final victory over Belgium. “We were the ones that knocked them out before.”
The teen has only one goal, while putting 10 shots on target after coming into this World Cup still nursing a left hamstring issue that forced him to miss the final weeks of the season for Spanish club Barcelona.
While Spain have outscored opponents 10-1 since a stunning scoreless draw against surprising Cape Verde to open group play, La Roja are still alive after Merino had late decisive goals after subbing into each of the last two games. All while goaltender Unai Simón set a World Cup record of 650 minutes without allowing a goal until Belgium found the net in the 41st minute of their quarter-final game.
Merino scored in the 88th minute for that 2-1 win over Belgium on Friday. That came after the Arsenal forward’s goal in the first minute of second-half stoppage time for the 1-0 win over Portugal in the round of 16 at the same stadium where Spain’s semi-final match will be played.
This is the first World Cup since 1990 that each of the final four teams are former champions.
Messi and defending champions Argentina, who beat France for the title four years ago, play England in the other semi-final match tomorrow in Atlanta.
The championship match is on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, across the river from New York City. A third-place game will be played on Saturday in Miami Gardens, Florida.