Spain halts France's attack and reaches the World Cup final

Spain neutralized France’s formidable attacking prowess, defeating them 2-0 thanks to a cohesive team performance in Dallas today, to reach the World Cup final for the second time in their history and deny their rivals the honor for a third consecutive tournament.

The “La Roja” squad, champions of 2010, dominated the match from start to finish, reducing France—a team that had terrified opponents with an extraordinary attacking trio—to an ordinary side.

Like a game of chess, Spain prevailed through patience, composure, spatial control, and baiting the opponent, achieving tactical superiority that allowed them to read their rival’s movements, minimize errors, and deliver the decisive blow at the right moment.

Amid high temperatures nearing 30 degrees Celsius in Texas and before a crowd of 70,000 spectators, 19-year-old Lamine Yamal bullied left-back Lucas Digne, won a penalty, which Mikel Oyarzabal converted in the 22nd minute, raising his tournament tally to five goals.

The script seemed pre-written: France coach Didier Deschamps moved his playmaker Michael Olise from the clutches of Rodri in midfield to the right flank. However, Spain’s unscripted play caught Kylian Mbappé offside more than once, stifling the engine of the current tournament’s top scorer (8 goals) and the competition’s all-time leading scorer (20 World Cup goals).

Deschamps acknowledged Spain’s overwhelming superiority: “We admit that we were today technically inferior against a team that controlled the game much better.”

The coach, who will play in the third-place match on Saturday against the loser of the Argentina-England tie, marked the end of a successful 14-year era and paved the way for his compatriot Zinedine Zidane to succeed him. “We greatly lacked attacking sharpness. We went from a French attacking festival to something resembling nothingness this evening. This happened because the opponent prevented us from playing, because our technical precision was lower, and perhaps because some players also lacked energy.”

In contrast, Spain delivered a stunning tactical display without ostentation.

Spain has not lost in their last 37 matches across all competitions (28 wins and 9 draws), equalling the longest unbeaten streak by a European national team in history, previously held by Italy (between 2018 and 2021).

For his part, Mbappé explained the flaws: “Spain stuck to their plan and the identity they are known for; they are a team that loves possession and controlling the rhythm of the game. Our goal was to press them high to prevent them from imposing that rhythm, as they are better than us at controlling the match, but we failed to do so.”

France had previously defeated Sweden 3-0, Paraguay 1-0, and Morocco 2-0 in the knockout stages, while Spain beat Austria 3-0, Portugal 1-0, and Belgium 2-1, having conceded only their single goal in that match.

From afar, former France midfielder Patrick Vieira’s words were both expressive and harsh: “Expectations were high for France to win the World Cup. We are very disappointed by the result, but even more so by the performance, because we needed our big players to give their best today, but they did not. It was not just one or two players who were below their level; they all were.”

Spain cemented their recent dominance over France, having beaten them 2-1 in the 2024 European Championship semi-final when they won the title, and 5-4 in the 2025 Nations League semi-final. Spain became the first team in tournament history to keep a clean sheet in six matches in a single edition.

Kylian Mbappé, captain of the French national team, expressed his disappointment after his side’s 2-0 defeat to Spain in the World Cup semi-final in Arlington, near Dallas, confirming that he did not deliver the performance he had hoped for.

Speaking to M6, Mbappé said the team failed to meet the required tactical and technical standards, adding that failing to produce a strong semi-final performance meant elimination from the tournament.

He explained that the disappointment was immense, pointing to the numerous technical errors committed by Les Bleus that prevented them from capitalizing on key moments to threaten the opposition.

Mbappé added that Spain stuck to their usual strategy of possession and controlling the tempo, while the French failed to apply effective high pressing to disrupt this approach, thereby giving Spanish midfielders Fabián Ruiz and Rodri ample time to control the ball.

He emphasized that the passes and first touches were not at the level expected in a World Cup semi-final, and that the team did not provide all the necessary elements to reach the final.

Mbappé noted that reaching the final had been a dream for the team and its supporters, affirming that the players must accept the defeat with their heads held high, just as they do when they win.

Didier Deschamps, the French national team coach, expressed his players’ profound disappointment following the loss to Spain in the World Cup semi-final, stating that “the players are devastated because our ambitions were great.” He added that it was necessary to acknowledge that “our team was technically inferior” to an opponent who better controlled the flow of the match, and thus “the fault lies with us first.”

Commenting on the referee’s performance, Deschamps said he did not wish to assign blame to any party, “but I will pose a question without answering it: Does the referee have the required standard to manage a World Cup semi-final?” He clarified that he had some observations but would not go into details, denying that he raised the question specifically because of the loss.

He acknowledged that there were refereeing decisions that also favored his team, but reiterated that the primary reason for the defeat was that his team “was slightly below par and less dangerous offensively” than expected.

He noted that the third-place match would take place as scheduled, but it “would not change anything,” explaining that he did not want to diminish what had been achieved previously, but Spain “showed something more than us” in this particular match.

Regarding the approaching end of his tenure with Les Bleus, Deschamps said, “It is kind of the end,” confirming that his next match would be in Miami in three or four days. However, he stressed that he was not thinking about that now and was fully focused on the current task. He added that he had prepared the match with his players with the goal of reaching the final in mind, and they had done everything in their power to achieve it, “but we failed, so the disappointment is real and great because it is a World Cup tournament.”

Deschamps did not diminish the level of the Spanish national team, describing them as “accustomed to controlling the game,” while admitting that his team lacked much of the attacking sharpness.

He explained: “We went from a French attacking festival to something resembling nothingness this evening,” attributing this to the opponent preventing his team from playing, a decline in technical accuracy, and perhaps a lack of energy from some players, which disrupted French attacks. He concluded by praising the Spaniards’ ability to “read proactive plays and intercept passes,” which forced his national team to remain defensively organized throughout the match.

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said the team started with a clear idea about four years ago and remained faithful to it, which brought them to where they are today, noting that his side faced one of the best national teams in the world.

De la Fuente praised his players, insisting they deserve everything, as they have shown day after day their commitment, solidarity, and talent, concluding, “They make the difficult look easy.”

Spain captain said the Matadors showed maturity in key moments, adding, “We focused a lot and took no risks, because they would have punished us.”

He considered “composure” to be essential, expressing the players’ desire for the title: “We want more, we want to win this tournament, but we will now rest to see how we can improve.”

Pedro Porro, who scored Spain’s second goal, said what had been achieved was a “dream” he hadn’t even imagined in his wildest dreams, expressing his great happiness with the achievement and with the team’s mentality throughout the match from start to finish.

He felt his team had delivered a wonderful match and done everything required to reach the final.

He noted they knew they were facing a very strong team that was indeed producing great things, emphasizing that what had been achieved was “a team achievement, not mine at all.”

Former France midfielder Patrick Vieira said expectations were high for France to win the World Cup, and everyone feels great disappointment over the result, but the biggest disappointment stems from the performance, explaining that his national team needed its senior players to deliver their best, but they did not.

Vieira added that the failure to reach the required standard was not limited to one or two players, but involved everyone, stressing that the French national team “was extremely poor collectively.”