Coupe du monde 2026 : L’Espagne gâche la fête française et file en finale
The first semi-final of the 2026 World Cup pitted the two tournament favorites against each other on Tuesday: Spain and France. This European clash went in favor of La Roja, who secured a comfortable 2-0 victory over Les Bleus.
On July 14th, France's national holiday, Didier Deschamps' men hoped to reach a third consecutive World Cup final. But they came up against a technically gifted, patient, and clinical Spanish team.
Spain's dominance was quickly rewarded. A long cross from Marc Cucurella saw Lucas Digne foul Lamine Yamal in the penalty area. The referee pointed to the spot. Mikel Oyarzabal made no mistake, sending Mike Maignan the wrong way with a low, left-footed shot across goal (21st minute, 1-0).
This opening goal forced the French to rush their attacks. Completely neutralized by the Spanish defense, Michael Olise and Kylian Mbappé were unable to develop their game. At halftime, La Roja deservedly held the lead.
Upon returning from the locker room, the Spanish dominated possession and strung together a series of attacks. In the 58th minute, following a well-constructed move down the right flank, Pedro Porro capitalized on some lapses in the French defense to once again beat Mike Maignan and extend their lead (2-0).
Stunned by the second goal, France tried to respond, but neither Ousmane Dembélé, nor Bradley Barcola, nor Kylian Mbappé could find a way through the solid Spanish defense. Three minutes later, Lamine Yamal thought he had scored his team's third goal, but it was ultimately disallowed for offside.
In the last twenty minutes, despite the introduction of Désiré Doué and Rayan Cherki, the Blues failed to seriously trouble the Spanish back line.
At the final whistle, Spain logically prevailed (2-0), spoiling the French national holiday and securing their place in the 2026 World Cup final, where they will attempt to conquer a second world title.
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