Spain coach de la Fuente faced criticism from fans after his team opened the tournament with a draw against Cape Verde. But he never lost faith in his players. Heading into the semi-final against France — the reigning World Cup runners-up, who had cleared one hurdle after another and were favored by the odds — a confident de la Fuente struck a tone of defiance.
“If France has anyone to fear, it’s us,” he said ahead of the semi-final in Dallas. “We’ve beaten them twice. I believe the two best teams in this World Cup are facing each other. Let’s see what happens, but we have no fear.”
France had reached the World Cup semi-finals seven times before, exiting in disappointment on three of those occasions — 1958, 1982 and 1986. The most recent two defeats came against Germany, while in 1958 the French were undone by a Pelé hat-trick.
Since 1998, reaching the semi-final had meant reaching the final for France — a pattern demonstrated by their wins over Croatia in 1998, Portugal in 2006, Belgium in 2018 and Morocco in 2022. They had hoped to continue that streak this time as well. However, France could not clear the semi-final hurdle on this occasion, losing 2-0 to Spain.
Spain held the upper hand in the head-to-head record against France heading into the Dallas semi-final, having won 18 of their 38 previous meetings to France’s 13, with the remaining seven drawn. In the last 10 meetings, Spain had won seven times to France’s two — a record that appeared to give Spain a psychological edge, one reflected clearly in their performance on the pitch. With the win, Spain reached the World Cup final for the second time, 16 years after their 2010 triumph.
The France-Spain clash in Dallas lacked much of the excitement fans might have expected. France looked unfamiliar in the 4-2-3-1 formation both sides deployed, and the match bore little resemblance to their previous six games in this World Cup. French wingers struggled to break down the Spanish defense out wide, while Spanish defenders neutralized Kylian Mbappé from the start.
Mbappé, locked in a battle with Messi for the Golden Boot, was held goalless. Spain’s tactics blunted him almost entirely — he managed just 34 touches over the course of the match, taking only two shots, neither on target.
Lamine Yamal had hoped to celebrate his birthday with a win, and the match in Dallas gave him the perfect opportunity to mark his 19th birthday a day later.
Mbappé, the France and Real Madrid star, appeared to struggle with the reality of Yamal — Spain and Barcelona’s rising talent — increasingly stepping into a superstar role. Mbappé’s frustration showed when he picked up a yellow card for an unnecessary foul on Yamal in the 86th minute. Among the French forwards, Dembélé stood out for his effort, registering 46 touches and two shots on target.
Meanwhile, Yamal proved dangerous whenever he received a through ball. The winger, who had celebrated his 19th birthday the day before, was also involved in the buildup to Spain’s penalty. Spain were awarded the penalty after a French defender fouled Yamal inside the box, and Oyarzabal converted from the spot to give Spain the lead.
France suffered an early setback as Spain took the lead in the 22nd minute. Despite being closely marked by French defenders throughout, Oyarzabal touched the ball 45 times, scored his goal from 31 touches, and had two shots on target.
Spain evoked memories of their tiki-taka football from the thrilling 2010 World Cup campaign. Their defense stood firm against opposing attacks in every match, conceding just one goal across their first six games. A standout defensive performance anchored Spain’s backline throughout the tournament, marked by an impressive 86 touches, clean clearances, and strong overlapping runs. Cucurella, in particular, operated almost like an attacking midfielder from his defensive position, completing the vast majority of his 63 passes. Spain goalkeeper Unai Simón made three key saves, twice putting his body on the line to deny Mbappé — including once dispossessing an unmarked Mbappé in midfield to avert danger.
Spain’s second goal, scored in the 58th minute, exposed clear lapses in the French defense. A well-constructed move involving Olmo and Oyarzabal broke through French lines to double Spain’s lead to 2-0. That’s when French coach Didier Deschamps raised his hands in resignation. France couldn’t even mount a serious effort to close the gap in the closing stages.
With 51 percent possession and 425 passes completed in their trademark tiki-taka style, Spain demonstrated that fast, direct football or wing play isn’t the only path to success in European football. Mutual understanding, technical skill, and composure proved to be the real keys to victory.
France failed to live up to the immense expectations surrounding a match with such enormous commercial stakes, ultimately surrendering to Spain’s tactical superiority. Tiki-taka football won the day.
