Spain produced one of the tournament’s most commanding performances to reach the World Cup final, dismantling a French side many had tipped to lift the trophy.
Luis de la Fuente’s side ran out 2-0 winners in Dallas, leaving France to prepare for the third-place play-off instead of the showpiece final.
France entered the semi-final as overwhelming favourites, with Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise forming one of the most feared attacking units in world football.
Spain, however, were utterly untroubled by that threat, restricting France to just three attempts on target and an xG figure of just 0.3 across the entire match.
Chris Sutton, who was at the game for BBC Radio 5 Live, was blunt in his assessment of what unfolded in Dallas.
“Spain scalped France – they flattened France,” Sutton said. “We have given France so much praise in this tournament, but they were swatted aside by silky Spain. In the main, Spain have outfought and outplayed this French team.”
Roy Keane, speaking on ITV, pinpointed France’s failure to function as a unit as the decisive factor in their downfall.
“France were not playing as a team. Brilliant individuals not playing as a team. Spain have been absolutely brilliant – an absolute joy to watch,” Keane said.
Spain went ahead through a Mikel Oyarzabal penalty before Pedro Porro added a wonderful second, with both goals arriving inside the first hour.
Remarkably, those were Spain’s only two attempts on target, underlining just how ruthlessly efficient de la Fuente’s side have become at this tournament.
Spain are now unbeaten in 37 international matches, equalling Italy’s record for the longest unbeaten run in the history of international football.
They have also become the first team in World Cup history to keep six clean sheets in a single edition, a defensive record that speaks to their extraordinary organisation and collective discipline.
Patrick Vieira, a World Cup winner with France, admitted Spain had dominated “every single aspect” of the contest and praised their tactical control.
“Collectively it was a fantastic game from Spain,” Vieira said on ITV Sport. “They stopped Olise playing – they won the game tactically.”
Ian Wright, Vieira’s former Arsenal team-mate, was equally emphatic in describing Spain’s superiority throughout the evening.
“It was structure over individuality,” Wright said. “I am just shocked it has happened that easily.”
Spanish football expert Guillem Balague argued the performance should serve as a blueprint for the sport at the highest level.
“What we have seen is a brilliant collective display,” Balague said. “They had control of absolutely everything – it should be in all football schools.”
Tactically, Spain imposed themselves through the physically dominant and technically gifted midfield trio of Fabian Ruiz, Rodri and Dani Olmo, who outnumbered and outmanoeuvred France’s midfield two throughout the match.
De la Fuente’s long-term vision for this squad stretches back a decade, with many of his current players having won under-19 and under-21 European Championships together under his guidance.
“De La Fuente started this journey 10 years ago with Oyarzabal, Dani Olmo, Rodri and Simon,” Balague said. “They won the under-19 and under-21 Euros, got to know each other, formed a family, and that feeling of being better together than individually is in their DNA.”
After full-time, de la Fuente revealed he received a congratulatory phone call from King Felipe VI, with Spanish fans pouring into the streets to celebrate the result.
The Spain manager said his players deserved their place in the final because of “effort, talent, sacrifice, trying to be a better version of ourselves,” before invoking memories of their 2010 triumph.
“We’ve recaptured the spirit of 2010,” de la Fuente said. “The character of this team is evident in the fact that those who didn’t play have stayed behind to train after the match.”
Spain will face either Argentina or England in Sunday’s final, with Balague declaring that the eventual World Cup winners had already been decided on Tuesday night in Dallas.
