World Cup LIVE: Spain blow France away and await England or Argentina as FIFA break rules

World Cup LIVE: Spain blow France away and await England or Argentina as FIFA break rules All eyes are on England's World Cup semi-final clash with Argentina ahead of Lionel Messi's first showdown with the Three Lions Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro fired Spain into the World Cup final as France’s quest for glory fell apart in Dallas. Luis de la Fuente's side shut out a France team brimming with attacking talent to secure their place in Sunday's final in New Jersey. While England's World Cup semi-final clash with Argentina has been classified as a 'highest risk' match at the tournament following a meeting between the FBI, FIFA, officials and local police. There are concerns that issues between rival fans could flare up due to the historical divide between the two nations. Although there's a rivalry on the pitch, the bitterness between the two countrys transcends the sport, with the Falklands War in 1982, where 907 people lost their lives, at the heart of the rivalry. Only this week, the Argentinian foreign minister restaked a claim to the South American islands, which was quickly rebuffed by Prime Minister Kier Starmer. A police statement has been released after the meeting between officials and Atlanta Police Department said: "As Atlanta prepares to host an upcoming FIFA World Cup semi-final match and welcomes increased numbers of residents and visitors, the Atlanta Police Department has enhanced its citywide public safety and security posture. "Additional personnel and resources are already deployed and will continue to be strategically assigned in and around the event venues, entertainment districts, and other high-traffic areas to help ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone. These proactive measures are designed to protect the public, deter criminal activity, and ensure residents and visitors can safely enjoy this historic event." England head into the game with Argentina looking to banish the demons from the Azteca, where Diego Maradona infamously knocked the Three Lions out of the 1986 World Cup thanks to a moment of brilliance and the 'hand of God'. Lionel Messi - who will face England for the first time in his international career - and co will sport their darker blue kit for the clash on Wednesday night. FIFA accepted their request to shift away from their traditional light blue and white stripes, with the press in Argentina focusing on the superstitious kit, deeming it good luck. The two sides also now have confirmation of who will take charge of the fixture, after referee Ismail Elfath was appointed for the semi-final clash in Atlanta. You can read all the latest news in our live blog below, with updates from Mirror Sport throughout the day. Key Events Earlier we brought you some quotes from Didier Deschamps who was not very happy with referee Iván Barton. And now Spain star Rodri has complained about the level of officiating and in particular the failure to protect Lamine Yamal. He said: "We’ve been dealing with this situation for three games now, there have been too many fouls. "We’re talking about 10 or 15 fouls where the kid [Lamine Yamal] goes to the ground. If the referees do not call them, then the defence will keep doing the same thing. "The permissiveness is clear and was especially obvious today. But he still played a great match." By Phil Cardy England fans watching the football at The Bank Bar in Benidorm cheered as Spain beat France. The second the game finished the commentary was switched off and “I’m Horny” by Mousse T was blasted through the speakers by the jubilant local staff. Holidaymakers looking forward to England’s match against Argentina remained optimistic. Karl Stafford, from Bristol, said: “Spain were really good. Argentina and Messi will be good. I’ve had a couple, but I still think England can do it. I’ll be back here tomorrow.” Kylian Mbappe appeared to question Didier Deschamps' approach and tactics following France’s World Cup defeat to Spain. Mbappe saw his side’s hopes of reaching a third straight World Cup final end in Dallas after Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro scored to secure a 2-0 victory. And the Real Madrid star seemed to question the way Deschamps set up his side when delivering his view on the game. He said: "We were three against two in midfield and against Spain, that's hard. Fabian [Ruiz] and Rodri had plenty of time to play. “There was a lack of communication on the press. I think we should have done man-to-man press and force them to run with us." Before he added: "We didn't play the game we wanted, technically, tactically. When you don't do what you have to do in a World Cup semifinal, you don't win. “Spain respected their game plan and what the team usually does. They like to control the ball and the tempo. Our plan was to press them high so they could not install their rhythm. "Because they are better than us at controlling a game. We didn't manage to do it. We were too sloppy technically. We could not hurt them when we could have. "Even when we recovered the ball, our first touches were not good enough. That gives a defeat. It is a huge disappointment. But if we are objective, we didn't put all the ingredients to go to the final.” Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni has tried to ease potential tensions ahead of his side’s World Cup semi-final with England. He said: “It’s a football match; I can’t mix things up, out of respect for what happened so many years ago. “It was a very sad time in our history, and there isn’t much we can do about it. Mixing the two would be madness. We criticise that there was war. “Of course people remember history and what happened. It is a game of football, we need to keep things separate. “Yes, we remember Argentinian people and people that were lost in the war, but let’s not conflate things. What do the players of today have to do with many, many years ago? “It was a sad time, we remember this, of course, but it would be quite wrong to put this into the game.” Thomas Tuchel admitted he held clear-the-air with the England dressing room after Jude Bellingham ’s explosive TV interview. Three Lions boss Tuchel insisted they have already “moved on” and said he would have reacted exactly like Bellingham after England’s epic win over Norway. England star Bellingham snapped live on TV after being told that Tuchel had been highly critical of the team’s performance and they got “lucky” in their quarter final. Bellingham hit back at the manager by insisting that “maybe he does not know what it is like to play in those conditions.” But it is understood he was talking about the heat rather than Tuchel’s experience as a player. Tuchel revealed he did speak to the squad as a whole immediately afterwards and also 24 hours later to make it clear that he was not questioning their effort but was unhappy from a tactical point of view. Read the full story from John Cross here. France might not have technically been knocked out of the World Cup yet - but their dreams of winning the trophy are over. That’s because Didier Deschamps' long, storied career with France will come to an in Saturday's third-place play-off. And Deschamps has questioned FIFA’s decision to appoint Salvadoran referee Ivan Barton for France’s World Cup semi-final defeat to Spain. He said: “There is obviously a lot of disappointment. The players are devastated because we had high ambitions. “Although we have to be realistic and acknowledge that today we were a step below technically against a team that knew what they were doing. It’s primarily our fault. “Then I ask a question, and I’m not going to answer it: 'Is the referee good enough to officiate a World Cup semi-final?' We’ve had a few of those situations, and I’m not going to answer them. And I’m not saying this because we lost today, but there have been certain situations… often unfavourable to us, too." British Airways has issued an important update for passengers hoping to watch the World Cup match tonight. England will take on Argentina in the semi-finals with a place in the World Cup up for grabs - and Joe Wicks, widely known as "The Body Coach," asked the airline yesterday if he would be able to watch tonight’s game on his flight. He asked: "Hey @British_Airways will I be able to watch the @England match on my flight tomorrow?" But responding, British Airways confirmed the following: "Hi Joe, for legal reasons we're unable to stream live sporting events, unfortunately. However, I'm sure the crew will keep you informed of the score throughout your flight." They added: "We're sure the crew will be just as eager to keep an eye on events. Have a safe flight." Thomas Tuchel has confirmed that Declan Rice is fit to start England’s World Cup semi-final against Argentina after illness. Three Lions boss Tuchel confirmed: “Everyone is fit to start. Everyone was in training. “Except for Jarell (Quansah), who is suspended, and Jordan Henderson (everyone is available).” Asked if Rice is completely back to normal now, Tuchel said with a smile: “Well, yeah, he’s ready to start and (he is) as good recovered as possible.” Hello, Connor O’Neill here, and I will be taking you through the night. Well, it is officially Wednesday, which means that England will face Argentina tonight with a place in the World Cup up for grabs. The countdown to kick-off is underway. Not a happy man... Argentina midfielder Alexis Mac Allister has performed a drastic u-turn on his comments about England's chances of winning the World Cup. Liverpool star Mac Allister was asked by Jamie Redknapp last season whether England could win the tournament, but the 27-year-old made a dismissive expression on his face and stayed silent. Seconds before, Mac Allister had named Spain or France as two contenders while also name-checking Argentina and rivals Brazil. And it'll be Spain who the winner of Wednesday's semi-final between England and Argentina will play, having beaten France 2-0 in Dallas on Tuesday. Earlier in the day, Mac Allister spoke at a press conference and was asked about his conversation with Redknapp. The ex-Brighton man explained: "What I said to Jamie was a bit of a joke because at the same time that I said they were not going to be in this situation, I said they have amazing players and a really good coach as well. "So, I'm not surprised. They have, as I said, very good players. They know what they are doing, they have a great idea, so we really respect them and we will try our best to win." France boss Didier Deschamps clearly wasn't satisfied with Salvadoran referee Ivan Barton's performance in his side's 2-0 loss against Spain. "I will pose a question and not answer it," Deschamps told a press conference. "Does the referee possess the required level to manage a World Cup semi-final?" The Frenchman is now set to leave his post and be replaced by Zinedine Zidane. Read all about Spain's 2-0 victory over France in the World Cup semi-final with the latest from Daniel Orme. Mikel Oyarzabal put Spain in front from the penalty spot before Pedro Porro doubled his country's advantage in the second half. England or Argentina now await Lamine Yamal and Co. in Sunday's final at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Michael Owen has explained why he believes both England and Argentina will find it tough to beat Spain should they reach the World Cup final. In a post on X, Owen wrote: Brilliant performance from Spain. France had the individual stars but this Spanish team never looked like getting beat.England or Argentina will have to up their game massively to beat this lot. Roy Keane has criticised France after their defeat to Spain in the World Cup semi-final. Speaking live on ITV, Keane said: When I see these goals and I see players making these mistakes – it's clear (Digne's) confidence is gone, he doesn't know whether to stick or twist – you expect your mates to cover for you! It happens all the time, players can get caught out of position, but no-one's helping. That's where they didn't play as a team. The whole part of being a football team is your mates cover you when you're having a bad time, you're never going to come through a game of football where everyone plays well.And obviously the attacking players of France are going to be criticised today, but the French defence and midfield were all over the place, they weren't doing the basics right. We're on about the attacking players not turning up, but the team behind them didn't exactly give them a foundation to go on and win the game. Spain fans are celebrating in Madrid as their country beats France 2-0 to reach the World Cup final. A showdown against either England or Argentina awaits for the reigning European champions. Millions are ready to roar on England in tomorrow night's World Cup semi-final against Argentina – at the ground, at home, in pubs and at fan zones, reports Andy Lines. Around 30,000 Three Lions supporters will pack in to the 67,382-capacity Mercedes-Benz stadium in Atlanta, US, hoping to see Thomas Tuchel’s boys win one of the nation’s biggest games in recent memory. Back home, an audience of up to 25 million will tune in on TV, and thousands more will flock to hospitality venues or join crowds across the country for the potential grudge match. Harry Brent joins chief football writer John Cross from outside the Atlanta stadium with tension building for a chance of reaching the final of a World Cup for the first time in 60 years! Full time and Spain claim a 2-0 win over France to book a spot in the World Cup final. They will face the winners of England vs Argentina which takes place tomorrow nght in Atlanta. Approaching stoppage time and Spain still hold a 2-0 lead over France. As it stands, Kylian Mbappe and Co. will be heading out of the World Cup, but will have to compete in the third-fourth place play-off on Saturday. Spain fans in Madrid have been celebrating Pedro Porro's goal that put his country 2-0 up against France. John Cross has provided the latest on Thomas Tuchel's potential plans for the England starting line-up against Argentina. Tuchel is tempted to keep the same defence that started the win over Norway, but there could be changes across the rest of the team. Spain double their lead thanks to a goal from Tottenham defender Pedro Porro. A long way to go for France to get back in the game now. Usain Bolt and Noah Lyles are both in Dallas to watch the semi-final between France and Spain. Alan Shearer has raised doubts over England vs Argentina referee Ismail Elfath as he believes semi-final officiating could cost the Three Lions a World Cup final place, reports Stephen Killen. Moroccan-born American Elfath has been handed the responsibility of the semi-final between the two nations. The defending champions, led by superstar Lionel Messi, are looking to continue their path to retaining the World Cup, while England hope to join France or Spain in the final. Half-time arrives after six additional minutes in the first half and it's Spain who hold a 1-0 lead over France in Dallas. Still 45 minutes left to play for Les Bleus to get back into the game and keep their hopes alive of reaching a third consecutive World Cup final. Hollywood actor Timothée Chalamet is als in attendance for the semi-final in Dallas. David Beckham is in attendance in Dallas for France vs Spain and is joined by his wife, Victoria Beckham, as well as his children, Harper, Romeo and Cruz. Spain fans in Madrid have been celebrating Real Sociedad star Mikel Oyarzabal taking the lead against France. Potentially a major injury blow for France as William Saliba is withdrawn from the match with what appears to be a back problem. Crystal Palace star Maxence Lacroix has replaced the Arsenal centre-back for Didier Deschamps side, who trail 1-0 on the half-hour mark.