Deschamps: “We have to admit that the Spanish were better”

Spain’s World Cup finalists were cheered on as they walked through a guard of honor formed by coaches and staff following an extraordinary victory, while France’s superstar Kylian Mbappé trudged off the field, completely dejected. With ruthless control, the European champions shut down the French attacking artists and reached a World Cup final for the first time since winning the title 16 years ago. Led by Lamine Yamal, the Spanish team earned a well-deserved 2-0 (1-0) victory in the semifinals and became the first team to advance to the final in East Rutherford.

“Now we’ve taken this final step and we want to win this title,” said Spain’s national team coach, Luis de la Fuente. “These players simply deserve it because they bring passion to the field, play as a team, and are extremely talented. They’ve made what seems difficult look easy.”

Spain's head coach, Luis de la Fuente, is proud of his team.

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Mikel Oyarzabal, on a penalty kick in the 22nd minute, and Pedro Porro (58th) scored the goals in front of 70,176 spectators at the stadium in Arlington, which was, surprisingly, not sold out. “I couldn’t have dreamed of this,” said Porro. The team dominated the game against a “great opponent” and is looking forward to Sunday’s final. “Even I get goosebumps when I talk about it.”

Once again, a strong defense proved to be the Iberians’ biggest asset; they have conceded only one goal so far in the tournament. Their opponent in the final will be determined this Wednesday in Atlanta by a match between defending champion Argentina and England, coached by German Thomas Tuchel.

Title Hopes Dashed on National Holiday

For the surprisingly uninspired French team, the title run came to an end on their national holiday. “There’s a lot of disappointment in the locker room,” said coach Didier Deschamps. “Spain showed today that they’re on a different level.”

They could have reached their third consecutive World Cup final. Instead, Deschamps’s successful era as national team coach came to an end with a lackluster performance and a disappointment. “We tried, but we failed,” said Deschamps. “We have to admit that the Spanish were better. They controlled the game.” His stars sat dejected on the field, some holding their jerseys up to their faces.

The 57-year-old surpassed former German national team coach Helmut Schön to become the coach with the most World Cup appearances, with 26. But that’s hardly any consolation for Deschamps, who, according to reports, is set to be replaced by Zinédine Zidane.

Didier Deschamps and his team fail to reach the final once again.

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