Spain dismantled France 2-0 in the World Cup semi-final at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday night, ending the holders’ bid for a third consecutive final appearance. A first-half penalty converted by Mikel Oyarzabal after Lucas Digne fouled Lamine Yamal set the tone, and Pedro Porro’s second-half strike sealed a victory that was far more emphatic than the scoreline suggested. France, pre-match favourites and the tournament’s highest scorers with 16 goals, were restricted to two shots on target across the 90 minutes.

From the opening whistle, Spain’s midfield trio of Rodri, Fabián Ruiz and Dani Olmo dictated the rhythm, exploiting a numerical advantage that France captain Kylian Mbappé later described as decisive. “We kept finding ourselves outnumbered 3-on-2 in midfield,” Mbappé told French broadcaster M6. “Against Spain, that’s a real problem.” The Real Madrid forward, who failed to register a shot on target, acknowledged that his side’s high-pressing plan collapsed because of poor communication and technical sloppiness. “Our goal was to press them high to prevent them from settling into that slow, controlled rhythm – because when it comes to controlling the game, they are better than us. We failed to do that.”

European football analysts noted that France’s expected-goals figure dipped as low as 0.04 during a first half in which Spain completed nearly twice as many passes in the final third. Rayan Cherki, introduced as a second-half substitute, was blunt in his assessment: “They were better than us in every part of the game, and they were hungrier than us.” The Manchester City midfielder’s words echoed a broader sentiment in the French camp, where head coach Didier Deschamps conceded his team were “second best technically.”

Reaction from Paris reflected a mixture of disappointment and realism. Sports minister Marina Ferrari called the defeat “a cold shower” but stressed that such outcomes are part of sport. President Emmanuel Macron posted on X that the loss was “difficult” but praised a “young team full of promise.” In Madrid, the victory was framed as a vindication of Luis de la Fuente’s possession-based philosophy, with Spanish media highlighting that the team had not conceded a goal from open play in the knockout stage.

France will now contest Saturday’s third-place play-off against the loser of the Argentina-England semi-final, while Spain advance to Sunday’s final, seeking their first world title since 2010. Mbappé, who remains tied with Lionel Messi on eight goals in the Golden Boot race, accepted responsibility as captain: “When you don’t do what you’re supposed to do in a World Cup semi-final, you don’t win.”