After mowing down team after team in the World Cup, the juggernaut known as France finally met its match in Spain, who pulled out a dominant 2-0 victory in the semifinals.
Yes, you read that correctly. Spain whooped France and the scoreline does not even do it justice.
France, who looked like one of the greatest international sides of all time at varying points over the last four years, succumbed to a superior game plan and an inability to match the technical skill of the Spaniards, who also had no
issue mucking it up so that France could never settle into any kind of rhythm.
Spain danced an odd dance that was part beauty on the ball and part using brute physicality to slow down the potent French stars, who were clearly not ready for such a battle. When you add in some (bleep)housery, it was the perfect mix for a win.
Didier Deschamps, who has been masterful leading France over the years, might have called on some of the wrong players for his starting XI. However, with Deschamps being as successful at managing this group as he has been in recent years, it is hard to challenge his player assessments, especially in these key moments.
More than any decisions that Deschamps made, though, it was the poor performance of some of his key players, which made a difference. Michael Olise was bullied out of the center of the pitch and shifted to his favored right side, where he was more comfortable operating. However, the field positioning change crowded that side of the pitch and left a void in the middle. If Olise was looking to avoid a Spanish midfield that was totally ready to deal with him, he might have created even more problems for his own team in playing the way he did.
It was not just Olise who struggled, though. Kylian Mbappé and Bradley Barcola were ineffective and failed to properly support Ousmane Dembélé, who was trying like hell to make something happen. Lucas Digne had an uncharacteristic brain cramp in fouling Lamine Yamal for a first half penalty. Moreover, there were defensive breakdowns and a mess in the central midfield.
This was not the France that observers have witness in recent years…not even close.
All-in-all, it was a bad day for France as a team and as individuals, but that is what Spain can do — and forcing teams to look bad is what has carried the Spaniards so far. The winner of England and Argentina should be very aware.
So, yes, someone can beat France and do so in very convincing fashion.
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