What wins football matches? The team that scores more goals or the one that controls everything before them? Spain gave their answer in Dallas.
France had spent the past month living off moments. Kylian Mbappe’s pace, Ousmane Dembele’s unpredictability and Michael Olise’s vision had overwhelmed almost everyone in their path, carrying Didier Deschamps’ side to the semi-finals as the tournament’s standout team. They arrived in Texas looking every bit the favourites to reach a third successive World Cup final.
Spain had no interest in playing by that script.
France vs Spain, FIFA World Cup 2026: HIGHLIGHTS
Luis de la Fuente’s side squeezed the life out of the contest. They dictated the tempo, closed the spaces France usually attack and forced Mbappe to drift from one flank to the other in search of touches. Dembele kept dropping into midfield to get involved, Olise rarely found room between the lines and, for the first time all tournament, France looked short of ideas rather than full of them.
Lamine Yamal’s persistence gave Spain the breakthrough midway through the first half. Chasing what looked like a harmless loose ball, the teenager forced Lucas Digne into a rash challenge inside the box before Mikel Oyarzabal calmly sent Mike Maignan the wrong way from the spot. Just after the hour mark, Pedro Porro put one foot in the final with a beautifully crafted one-two with Dani Olmo before sliding his finish beyond the French goalkeeper.
France never looked capable of responding. Mbappe managed just fleeting glimpses of the space he had enjoyed throughout the tournament, Dembele’s influence faded as he retreated deeper to collect possession, and Olise was eventually withdrawn after another quiet evening. Spain, meanwhile, almost added a third when Yamal raced through and finished brilliantly, only for the offside flag to spare France further punishment.
Spain outplayed and outclassed France in every aspect of the game. (Photo: Reuters)
The numbers only reinforced what the eye had already seen. Spain created three big chances to France’s none, finished with 1.63 expected goals compared to France’s 0.30 and restricted one of the tournament’s most devastating attacks to three shots on target. It was not Spain at their most spectacular. It was Spain at their most complete.
HOW SPAIN MADE FRANCE LOOK TOOTHLESS France’s greatest strength throughout this World Cup had been their ability to turn games into transitions. Win the ball, release Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele or Michael Olise, and let individual brilliance take over. Spain simply refused to let the game unfold that way.
Luis de la Fuente’s side squeezed the spaces between the lines, pressed with purpose rather than desperation and ensured France were constantly receiving the
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