Spain dismantled France 2-0 in the World Cup semifinal in Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday night, ending the defending champions’ hopes of a third consecutive final appearance. Mikel Oyarzabal converted a 22nd-minute penalty after Lucas Digne fouled Lamine Yamal, and Pedro Porro doubled the lead just before the hour with a crisp one-two and finish. A third Spanish goal from Yamal was ruled out for offside, but the margin of superiority was never in doubt: France managed only two shots on target all evening, while Spain controlled possession, dictated tempo, and pressed with an intensity that left the French midfield chasing shadows.

Kylian Mbappé, the France captain, acknowledged the gulf in performance. “We did not produce the performance we wanted, tactically, technically or in terms of our overall level,” he said. “When you fail to do what you are supposed to do in a World Cup semi-final, you do not win.” Mbappé, who touched the ball just 15 times in the first half, pointed to a lack of communication in the press and a cascade of technical errors. Coach Didier Deschamps conceded his side was “a tone below” and questioned whether the referee was of the required standard, but midfielder Rayan Cherki was blunt: “They were better than us in every aspect of the game.”

Across France, the defeat landed with the force of a national reckoning. The match fell on Bastille Day, and the symbolism was not lost on a press corps that described the performance as a “shipwreck” and a “national defeat.” Player ratings in the French sports press were merciless: Deschamps and Ousmane Dembélé received a 2 out of 10, Mbappé a 3. Commentators in Paris spoke of a team “tormented” by old frailties, “diminutive” against a Spanish side that moved the ball with precision and purpose. The front pages paired images of a distraught Mbappé with headlines declaring the end of the “American dream,” and editorials demanded the immediate appointment of Zinedine Zidane to replace Deschamps, whose cycle is widely viewed as exhausted.

Spain’s victory was hailed as a tactical masterclass. Observers in Madrid noted how Luis de la Fuente’s side neutralised France’s vaunted attack, rendering Mbappé peripheral and forcing the French into their lowest expected-goals figure in six decades. The Spanish midfield, anchored by Rodri and Fabián Ruiz, controlled the game’s rhythm, while the full-backs pushed high to pin back France’s wide players. The result sends Spain to their first World Cup final since their 2010 triumph, a stage they will contest in East Rutherford, New Jersey, against the winner of the Argentina-England semifinal.

For France, the immediate future holds only the third-place match in Miami Gardens on Saturday. The squad must regroup from a defeat that has exposed deep structural and creative limitations, even as Mbappé set a national record with his 21st World Cup appearance. The inquest has already begun, and the clamour for change at the top is unlikely to subside before the next major tournament cycle.