A Tactical Masterpiece by Spain

It wasn’t the spectacle that the two teams had put on a year ago in the Nations League semifinals, which Spain won 5–4. Nor was it the soccer treat seen in the European Championship semifinal two years ago, when the Spaniards prevailed 2–1. The first semifinal of the 2026 World Cup was a tactical battle in which the Spaniards showed the top favorites their limits.

France—which had not only cruised through the group stage but had also put on a convincing performance in the knockout round, not conceding a single goal until the semifinals—went into the match against European champion Spain as the favorite. Not only did they keep their defense tight—but above all, their offense, led by Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, and Michael Olise, was firing on all cylinders. But in Spain, Didier Deschamps’ team faced an opponent that could not only match them in terms of quality but was also tactically superior to the French.

Deschamps' Praise

“We have to admit, without any resentment, that Spain was the better team today,” said France’s outgoing coach Didier Deschamps after the loss. “They controlled the game; they did an extremely good job of it. We never really got into the game. There were a few technical mistakes here and there. We tried everything, but Spain was on a whole different level today.” Kylian Mbappé echoed this sentiment, saying, “Our goal was to put them under heavy pressure early on, because they’re better than us at controlling the game. And we didn’t manage to do that.”

The French newspaper *L'Équipe* wrote that Les Bleus had been taught a “lesson” in Arlington, “after a tournament in which they had faced no serious challenges.”

Spain's successful coach, Luis de la Fuente, said after the final whistle that his team had played as a unit, brought passion to the field, and shown solidarity. “My players are extremely talented. They made what seemed difficult look easy today.”

Yamal as a Symbol

The Iberians didn’t shine primarily because of technical feats, but rather because of their precision, finesse, and determination. The best example was Lamine Yamal. The prodigy, whose star truly rose two years ago at the European Championship in Germany but who hadn’t quite come into his own at this tournament, didn’t shine in the semifinal either. Nevertheless, the FC Barcelona winger proved decisive just one day after his 19th birthday by drawing the penalty that led to the 1-0 goal. Yamal literally went where it hurts. And he wasn’t above doing defensive work either—he made more than one tackle, for example against Kylian Mbappé, whom he was determined not to let get past him.

This dedication is also thanks to Luis de la Fuente. The 65-year-old has been working for the federation since 2013 and has known many of his players since their youth days. In 2015, he led the U-19 team to the European Championship title, and in 2019, he won the European Championship at the U-21 level. After being named head coach of the senior national team, he immediately won the Nations League and, the following year, the European Championship title. Always part of the team: goalkeeper Unai Simon and midfielder Mikel Merino.

Players Repay That Trust

The coach has stuck with Simon, even though the squad includes more talented goalkeepers like David Raya of Arsenal and Joan Garcia of FC Barcelona. So far in this World Cup, Spain has conceded only one goal. Merino is mostly used as a substitute—and often makes a decisive impact. Not only at the European Championship two years ago, when he was the party pooper against host Germany in the quarterfinals, but also now in the U.S., where he scored the winning goal late in both the round of 16 against Portugal and the quarterfinals against Belgium.

When Merino took the field against France in the semifinals with twelve minutes left in the game, the job was already done. For once, the 30-year-old’s coolness under pressure wasn’t needed. His coach had already checkmated the French.

Now, on Sunday, Luis de la Fuente and his players may be in for another triumph—and this after the tournament in North America got off to such a disappointing start with a scoreless draw against Cape Verde. Even when they won the title in 2010, they suffered a setback in their opener, when the eventual world champions suffered a sensational 0-1 loss to Switzerland. If that isn’t a good omen for the Iberians...