France came into this World Cup semifinal as the heavy favorite to reach a third straight final. Spain didn’t care about any of that.
The Spanish side put together a clinical 2-0 win in Dallas that left Kylian Mbappe and company stunned. It was France’s worst defeat at a World Cup since 2010. Back then they lost 2-0 to Mexico. This one felt worse because the stakes were higher and the opponent just looked like they were operating on a different level.
Spain didn’t dominate possession in the way people expected. They didn’t need to. What they did was ruthlessly efficient. They scored twice on their only two shots on target. That’s the kind of stat that makes coaches lose sleep.
The first goal came from the penalty spot. Lucas Digne got caught ball-watching in the 21st minute and Lamine Yamal ran right into him. It was a soft penalty but it was also avoidable. Mikel Oyarzabal stepped up and calmly slotted it past Mike Maignan. France’s response was tepid at best for the rest of the half.
Changes didn’t help
Didier Deschamps pulled Adrien Rabiot at halftime and brought on Manu Kone. It didn’t change much. Spain kept the ball when they wanted to and Yamal kept giving Digne problems on the right wing. Yamal even had a goal called back in the second half and it barely seemed to bother them.
Dani Olmo produced a clever flick that sent Pedro Porro through on goal. Porro, a Tottenham guy, finished calmly for his second goal of the tournament and just his second ever for Spain. That’s how weird this tournament has been for both teams.
France threw on Desire Doue, Rayan Cherki and Theo Hernandez late in the game. None of it mattered. Michael Olise couldn’t find rhythm. Mbappe barely touched the ball in dangerous areas. Ousmane Dembele had a couple moments where it looked like something might happen, but his best chance was a late shot straight at Unai Simon.
Sometimes a team just has an off night at the worst possible time. That’s what happened to France.
What’s next for Spain
Spain will face either England or Argentina in the final. After what they just did to the tournament favorites, nobody should be picking against them. They outplayed France from start to finish and looked like a team that believes in its system completely.
For France, it’s back to the drawing board. They’ve been in two straight World Cup finals but this loss showed some real cracks. The defense looked vulnerable. The midfield got overrun. And their superstar forward never got a chance to be the difference-maker.
That’s how tournaments end sometimes. Not with a bang but with a quiet, frustrating night where nothing works.
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