From Madrid to London, via Rome and Berlin, newspapers praised the Spanish performance and offered a harsh assessment of the French team.
France's elimination against Spain (2-0)Tuesday's World Cup semi-final in Dallas sparked a flurry of reactions in the foreign press. While nearly all media outlets celebrated La Roja's qualification for the final, many focused on the impotence of Les Bleus, who were largely outplayed. Several columnists described the victory as indisputable and portrayed the French team as incapable of meeting the challenge posed by the Spanish.
In Spain, a demonstration hailed as a benchmark match
The Spanish newspapers unanimously celebrate the performance of Luis de la Fuente's men. AS bar its front page with a resounding "Magnificent!" and believes that Spain delivered a true footballing lesson. For Hector Martinez, La Roja beat "The best team in the tournament so far" and won "The admiration and respect of fans worldwide"The journalist believes that dominating a team led by Mbappé, Dembélé and Olise is an exceptional performance.
Same tone in El PaísThe newspaper describes a French team "Stunned" after one "prodigious demonstration"David Alvarez contrasts Spain's collective play with France's individual qualities. According to him, Les Bleus rely primarily on speed and individual brilliance, while Spain circulates the ball with a mastery that surpasses all the athletic qualities of their opponents.
Brand speaks of a "An unforgettable performance" which deserves to join the greatest pages in the history of Spanish football. José Luis Hurtado writes that the Spanish national team has "opened the doors of the Prado and the Louvre" by reaching a second world final.
Sports et Sports world also display "How great!" ou "Huge!" On their front page, Ferran Martinez believes that the French attack, though highly anticipated, never found the solutions. With a touch of irony, he sums up the evening by writing: "It was July 14th, the day of the Spanish national holiday."
In Italy, the French national team has faced particularly harsh criticism.
The Italian newspapers are also not sparing any criticism of the team from Didier Deschamps.
La Gazzetta dello Sport claims that he "There was no contest from the first minute to the last."Fabio Licari describes a Spain "Magnificent, dominant, superior in every way" and considers that France has been "Completely crushed"He goes even further by talking about "The most mediocre and lackluster French team in recent memory at the World Cup"According to him, the French team were deluding themselves, Mbappé disappeared from the match and Spanish superiority was never questioned.
Tuttosport chooses the title "Blue Tears" and wrote that "Mbappé and France are going home"The newspaper believes that La Roja perfectly neutralized the French offensive force and silenced an attack touted as one of the most formidable of the tournament.
In England, Mbappé is at the heart of the criticism
across the Channel, The Times says "France, on edge, has died."Martin Samuel sums up his analysis with a biting phrase: "The good news is that France is eliminated. The bad news is that at least two exceptional teams were present in this tournament. On Tuesday in Dallas, one shone, the other did not." He believes that Spain gave a real lesson in control and had practically secured their qualification well before the final whistle.
Le Daily Mail He also emphasizes the gap between the two teams. Ian Herbert writes that this semi-final mainly told the story of... "A story of collective action rather than individual actions"He sums up the French evening with a striking phrase: "Mbappé is chasing his own shadow." According to the journalist, having four top-level strikers is useless when no ball reaches them in good conditions.
In Germany, Spain's qualification is beyond dispute.
In Germany, Der Spiegel described the Blues' evening as "The day of total safety"The magazine believes that all French individualities have been eclipsed by Spain's collective organization.
BILD prefers to focus on the atmosphere in the Dallas stadium, deemed unworthy of a World Cup semi-final. The tabloid does, however, acknowledge that Spain's qualification was perfectly deserved. Its journalist, Matthias Marburg, even makes a sarcastic remark: "If you'd like to meditate in peace and quiet next time, I recommend a Spanish match. The team thoroughly deserved their qualification, but their fans certainly didn't."
A widely shared observation
As reactions poured in, one observation emerged across almost all foreign newspapers. Spain was portrayed as a team that imposed its rhythm, its collective play, and its technical mastery from start to finish. Conversely, Les Bleus were described as toothless, outplayed in every aspect of the game, and unable to showcase their individual talents. For much of the international press, this semi-final confirmed La Roja's superiority and left a very disappointing image of the French team.
