Spain 3-1 France: La Roja stroll into final
Spain delivered a masterclass in control to dismantle France 3-1 and book their place in the World Cup final, leaving Didier Deschamps’ side shell-shocked and prompting a savage ratings response from L’Équipe. For a brief spell, it felt like a rerun of the Human Rights World Cup final, with France conceding early and looking lost. But there was no fairytale comeback this time — Luis de la Fuente’s men suffocated any drama before it could spark.
Spain’s suffocating control
Even with possession almost evenly split, Spain’s authority was never in doubt. A penalty at the end of the first quarter set the tone, and from there La Roja managed the game with a maturity that belied their youth. Kylian Mbappé, so often France’s saviour, was reduced to fleeting moments; his usual “PlayStation mode” thundering runs down the left were snuffed out by a disciplined Spanish backline. The promised explosion never came.
L’Équipe’s brutal verdict
French sports daily L’Équipe is famed for its unforgiving player ratings, and after this display the red pen was out in force. Multiple France players were handed a humiliating 2/10, a reflection not just of individual errors but of a collective failure to impose themselves. The front page screamed of a team “at sixes and sevens” — left chasing shadows as Spain passed them into submission.
“Spain showed us what a team truly in control looks like. We were never in the game.” — A dejected French source told L’Équipe.
For France, the great entertainers of this tournament, the journey ends not with a bang but a whimper — though they must still travel to Miami for the bronze medal match. Spain, meanwhile, march on with a quiet confidence that suggests they may take some stopping.