France were eliminated in the World Cup semi-finals after a resounding defeat against Spain on Tuesday night in Dallas (0-2). Unable to impose their rhythm, rarely threatening, and constantly hampered by Spain's technical mastery, Les Bleus saw their run end just short of the final. Mikel Oyarzabal opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 22nd minute, before Pedro Porro delivered the decisive blow after the break.
Spain immediately takes control
La Roja quickly monopolized possession and forced the French back. Rodri, Dani Olmo, and Fabián Ruiz dictated the tempo in midfield, while Lamine Yamal made numerous runs down the right flank. Les Bleus struggled to win the ball back high up the pitch and had to cover long distances whenever they managed to regain possession.
Kylian Mbappé and Bradley Barcola are rarely given the ball in good positions. Michael Olise remains far from the penalty area, and Aurélien Tchouaméni and Adrien Rabiot spend much of the early part of the match protecting their defense. France struggles to find any attacking moves capable of breaking down the Spanish defense.
Digne fouls Yamal, Oyarzabal converts the penalty
In the 20th minute, Marc Cucurella sent a deep cross towards the far post. Lucas Digne attempted to clear, but Lamine Yamal appeared behind him and went down under contact with the French defender. Referee Ivan Barton pointed to the penalty spot.
Mikel Oyarzabal found himself one-on-one with Mike Maignan in the 22nd minute. The Spanish striker fired a left-footed shot across goal. The French goalkeeper dived the right way but couldn't reach the ball. Spain took a 1-0 lead, rewarding their early dominance. Oyarzabal scored his fifth goal of the World Cup.
Saliba forced to leave after less than half an hour
The French evening took another turn for the worse a few minutes later. William Saliba sat down on the pitch, seemingly uninjured, clutching his back. The central defender, already hampered by injury during the tournament, was unable to continue.
Didier Deschamps made his first substitution in the 29th minute. Maxence Lacroix replaced Saliba and took his place alongside Dayot Upamecano. France thus lost one of its key defenders while already trailing.
Ruiz misses the break before the break
Spain continues to advance easily into the French half. Pedro Porro unleashes a dangerous, low, driven shot, then Dani Olmo backheels the ball to Lamine Yamal. The young winger finds Fabián Ruiz in the six-yard box, but Upamecano throws himself in front of the Spanish midfielder to prevent him from finishing.
The French responded only with a few isolated attempts from Barcola and Rabiot. Mbappé remained closely marked by several opponents and received almost no through balls. At halftime, Spain deservedly led 1-0. France went into the break without having truly troubled Unai Simón.
Pedro Porro delivers a decisive blow to Les Bleus.
France returns to the pitch without any immediate changes to its formation. It tries to push forward more, but leaves gaps for Spain. In the 58th minute, Pedro Porro receives the ball on the right wing, beats two French players, and plays a one-two with Dani Olmo.
The Spanish midfielder returns the ball to him in the box despite Upamecano's presence. Porro strikes it powerfully with his right foot, beating Maignan. Spain now lead 2-0. Les Bleus, already unable to develop their game before halftime, need to score two goals against a team that had only conceded once since the start of the tournament.
Yamal's third goal disallowed
Three minutes later, Lamine Yamal thought he had increased the scoreline further. Pau Cubarsí sent a through ball to the winger, who cut inside onto the right flank, then slotted the ball past Maignan with a curling left-footed shot. However, the goal was disallowed for offside. France remained two goals behind, but this action highlighted the difficulties their defense was having against Spain's speed and movement.
Mbappé hits the post, Unai Simón shuts the door
The French eventually pressed forward more aggressively. In the 67th minute, Mbappé received the ball at the edge of the box and unleashed a low, angled shot. The ball went just wide of Unai Simón's left post.
Didier Deschamps then launched several attacking players in an attempt to spark a response. Désiré Doué capitalized on a save by the Spanish goalkeeper in front of Mbappé, but his long-range effort was saved. In the following minute, the young Parisian slipped a pass to Theo Hernandez. Unai Simón dived at the feet of the French full-back and prevented Les Bleus from reducing the deficit.
These opportunities remain too few and far between, and too late. Spain sit back slightly in the final minutes, without losing their composure. Mbappé wins another free kick, but his shot goes over the bar. The French finish the match without scoring.
An elimination without revolt
The referee ends the match with the score at 2-0. Spain reaches the World Cup final for the first time since their 2010 title. They will face the winner of the other semi-final between England and Argentina on Sunday.
France, who had won their first seven matches in this World Cup, are eliminated after their weakest performance of the tournament. Les Bleus never managed to gain control of the midfield, consistently supply Mbappé, or put the Spanish defense under sustained pressure. Their resurgence after the second goal produced only a few scattered chances.
After defeats against Spain in the semi-finals of Euro 2024 and the 2025 Nations League, France have once again fallen short against Spain in a crucial match. This time, they exit the competition without a goal, without a spectacular comeback, and without having truly troubled their opponents.
