Spain delivered a masterclass in controlled possession to eliminate France 2-0 in the first World Cup semifinal at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday. Mikel Oyarzabal converted a 22nd-minute penalty after Lucas Digne felled Lamine Yamal, and Pedro Porro doubled the lead just before the hour, finishing a slick one-two with Dani Olmo. The European champions never allowed Didier Deschamps’ side to settle, restricting a French attack that had scored 16 goals in six matches to only two shots on target across the entire contest.

Speaking in the mixed zone, captain Kylian Mbappé delivered a blunt assessment that focused on a structural flaw in midfield. “We were three against two in midfield and against Spain, that’s hard,” he said, noting that Rodri and Fabián Ruiz were given too much time to dictate tempo. Mbappé argued the pressing scheme was poorly coordinated and that a man-to-man approach would have forced Spain’s technicians to run without the ball. He also lamented a lack of technical precision, saying that even when France regained possession, “the first passes and first touches were not worthy of a World Cup semifinal.” The Real Madrid forward, who finished the tournament with eight goals and remains tied with Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race, accepted full responsibility as captain.

French media reacted with a mixture of resignation and sharp criticism. L’Équipe described the performance as “a football lesson from the Spaniards,” while Le Parisien called it “a cruel disappointment.” RMC Sport declared simply: “The American dream is over.” In Spain, the victory was framed as a vindication of Luis de la Fuente’s unwavering commitment to a possession-based identity. Analysts in Madrid noted that Spain’s midfield trio of Rodri, Ruiz, and Olmo consistently created numerical superiority, a tactical detail that Mbappé himself highlighted. Across Southeast Asian outlets, the narrative centred on Mbappé’s implicit criticism of Deschamps’ setup, with Indonesian and Malaysian reports emphasising the captain’s call for a different pressing structure.

Deschamps, who will step down after the tournament with Zinedine Zidane widely expected to take over, acknowledged that his team was “second best technically.” His second-half introductions of Désiré Doué and Rayan Cherki failed to alter the match’s trajectory. France now travel to Miami Gardens for Saturday’s third-place play-off against the loser of the Argentina-England semifinal, a fixture that will close a chapter for a generation that reached three of the last four World Cup finals but leaves this edition with a sense of unfulfilled promise.