Spain stun favourites France with a commanding World Cup semifinal performance

It takes some team to make France look mediocre, poor even, but this magnificent Spanish armada reduced Kylian Mbappe et al to a rabble in Texas. Spain are some team.

France, marginally pre-match favourites after swaggering their way through the group phase and three knockout rounds, had no answer to Spain’s composure and brilliance.

Goals from Mikel Oyarzabal from the penalty spot and a beautifully constructed attack involving the impeccable Dani Olmo in a one/two with right back Pedro Porro, sealed Spain’s passage to only their second World Cup final.

The only previous time La Roja made the final was in South Africa in 2010, and they went on to win the title that time. They were also the reigning European Champions in 2010, as they are in 2026.

The stars are aligning, especially as Spain appear to be peaking at exactly the right moment. Timing in elite sport is everything.

Spain’s World Cup campaign has been conducted largely under the radar, with no overtly dominant performances to speak of.

In many ways, until the showdown against France in Dallas, their passage to the last four was achieved through death by a thousand cuts inflicted on the opposition.

But in the magnificent Dallas Cowboys stadium, Spain produced the sabre and cut France down with a series of key strikes.

Having conceded only one goal in the tournament, no one believed they could keep France’s holy trinity of Mbappe, Ousmane Dembélé and Michael Olise silent.

But they did, and with relative ease, thanks to a midfield marshalled by the colossal Rodri, that overwhelmed France in the centre of the pitch. Les Bleus had no way to gain a foothold in the match without that central control, and the longer the game wore on, the more frustrated Mbappe and his team looked.

Mentally, France looked tepid from the outset and due to their slow start, they battled to muster enough positive energy to ask even a few tough questions of the Spanish.

But saying France were underwhelming is ignoring that they were made to look ordinary by an opponent that played with the quiet authority of a team that is completely at ease with itself.

Every player was technically brilliant, passing and moving with almost telepathic understanding.

Choosing an outstanding Spanish player is a futile exercise because they are the brilliant sum of well-drilled component parts. Even the wonderful Lamine Yamal, always a threat down the right, was part of the collective and not the focal point.

In this team, the likes of Porro, Marc Cucurella and Álex Baena, decent but not star club players, are elevated to a higher level.

Composure

Spain were the more composed and organised team during a cagey first half that saw few chances and only brief glimpses of France’s attacking threat.

France were surprisingly passive, lacking intensity and urgency that had marked earlier matches in the campaign. The returning midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni, who missed three matches because of a thigh niggle, looked off the pace, while fellow midfielder Adrien Rabiot lacked his usual impact.

Rabiot earned an early yellow card for a stamp on Olmo only a few inches outside the box. Rabiot was lucky to escape a second yellow for a later foul, and it was no surprise that France manager Didier Deschamps withdrew him at halftime.

Spain, the reigning European champions, came into the game on a 37-match unbeaten streak, having conceded only one goal in six matches at the World Cup.

And it was obvious to see why. Fabian Ruiz and Cucurella, with help from Rodri, patrolled the left side of midfield like hungry Dobermans, stifling Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembélé’s creativity and threat.

Spain drew first blood when France left back Lucas Digne failed to deal with a floaty pass across the penalty area and caught Yamal with his boot. Penalty.

Oyarzabal’s unerring strike into the right corner was Spain’s only shot on target in the half, which was one more than France managed from four attempts on goal.

Losing star central defender William Saliba midway through the first half was unfortunate, but not game-defining. This match was decided by Spain’s control and skill, not by a French defensive howler.

After halftime, Spain looked imperious, with a series of short, crisp passes leading to Porro’s strike in the 59th minute.

Even though there were more than 30 minutes to play, a two-goal lead felt fatal for France because they simply never troubled Spain’s defence until the last, frantic minutes when Dembélé managed a few shots on goal.

But by then, it was far too little, and far too late. DM