International
**Mikel Merino came off the bench to win his 50th cap and help Spain reach the FIFA World Cup final in a 2-0 victory over France in Dallas.**
Having scored the winner in the previous two rounds, Mikel came off the bench once more in the semi-final triumph to set up a final in New Jersey with either England or Argentina.
William Saliba started the match for France, who fell behind after Aston Villa's Lucas Digne fouled Barcelona's Lamine Yamal inside the penalty area.
Mikel Oyarzabal converted from the spot after 22 minutes as France conceded their first goal since the group stages.
Seven minutes later, it got worse for Didier Deschamps' side as Saliba went off injured, being replaced by Crystal Palace's Maxence Lacroix.
— Spanish Football (@SpainIsFootball) [July 14, 2026](https://x.com/SpainIsFootball/status/2077132283694199037?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
France, who had been free-scoring in the tournament so far, struggled to break down a resilient Spain, and La Roja doubled their lead on 58 minutes.
A well-worked move was rounded off by Pedro Porro to seal Spain's place at the New York/New Jersey Stadium on Sunday, July 19.
Merino came on after 77 minutes for his landmark appearance, with Zubimendi and Raya remaining unused subs for Luis de la Fuente's side.
Mesut Ozil and Per Mertesacker were the last of our players to feature in a World Cup final in 2014 against Argentina in Brazil, will any of our Spanish stars do the same on Sunday?
CAN ENGLISH QUARTET MAKE IT THROUGH?
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Our Spanish trio now lay in wait for either England or Argentina in the final in New York.
All four of our England stars, Declan Rice, Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka, all featured in the 2-1 extra-time victory over Norway in Miami.
At least one of our players has featured in every match for Thomas Tuchel's side so far, as they go up against the defending champions in Atlanta.
The game will kick off at 8pm UK time, with the match being shown live on BBC One.
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