Arlington (United States) (AFP) – Spain ended France’s dream of a third World Cup triumph on Tuesday, taming their star-studded attack in a 2-0 victory to reach the final against England or Argentina. Didier Deschamps’ men were hot favourites to lift the trophy after a string of breathtaking attacking displays in the United States but they met their match against the slick European champions in the semi-finals.
Mikel Oyarzabal opened the scoring for the 2010 winners with an emphatic penalty in the first half in Arlington, Texas, and Pedro Porro doubled their lead in the second half. Shell-shocked France could not find a way back into the match despite their wealth of attacking riches on a bitterly disappointing day for the two-time winners. “We started almost four years ago with an idea and we’ve been faithful to that idea and it’s brought us here,” said Spain coach Luis de la Fuente. “These players deserve everything,” he added. “Day after day they’ve shown their commitment, their solidarity, their generosity, their talent. They make the difficult look easy.”
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The game at the AT&T Stadium caught fire midway through the first half when Salvadoran referee Ivan Barton pointed to the penalty spot after a reckless challenge by France left-back Lucas Digne on Spain winger Lamine Yamal. Oyarzabal hammered the ball past France goalkeeper Mike Maignan for his fifth goal of the World Cup to leave France trailing for the first time in the tournament. It was the Real Sociedad forward’s 18th goal in his past 20 games for Spain. Deschamps threw on Desire Doue for Bradley Barcola in the 57th minute in a bid to supercharge his attack but a minute later they were 2-0 down after a stunning team goal for Spain involving Dani Olmo and defender Porro.
Spain, who have conceded just once in the entire tournament, are the first team in World Cup history to keep six clean sheets at a single edition. They have now gone 37 games without defeat in all competitions, equalling the record unbeaten streak by a European nation. But defeat in Texas is a bitter blow for a France team that reached the past two finals, winning in 2018 and finishing as runners-up four years ago. Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe was just one cog in a star-studded attack that also included Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele and the elegant Michael Olise.
Defeat leaves just the third-place play-off on Saturday for long-serving coach Deschamps, who is stepping down after 14 years in charge. The 57-year-old, who has won the World Cup as a coach and player, said his players were “devastated.” “First of all, it’s our fault, I don’t want to blame anyone,” he said. But Deschamps could not resist a dig at referee Barton. “I’ll ask a loaded question and I won’t answer it,” said the France coach. “Is the referee at the level required to officiate a World Cup semi-final?” And I’m not saying this just because we lost today. There were quite a few situations. There were some favourable calls, too,” he added, without elaborating.
– Kane v Messi –
In the other semi-final in Atlanta on Wednesday, England and Argentina will lock horns in the latest chapter of one of the game’s most compelling rivalries. The history of matches between the nations is peppered with incidents, set against a lingering sovereignty dispute over the Falkland Islands, known in Spanish as the Malvinas, in the South Atlantic Ocean. The encounter takes place 40 years after Diego Maradona’s infamous “Hand of God” goal helped Argentina to a 2-1 win at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.
England captain Harry Kane, who is competing with Lionel Messi and Mbappe for the Golden Boot, said his team would not be distracted by emotional baggage around the fixture. “From a player’s point of view it’s us against a great team, who are smart, who are tactical, who know how to buy fouls, know how to slow the game down — like many different teams you come up against throughout your whole career,” Kane told ITV.
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