Spain technically knocked out France. Is this the "best team in the world"?

Written by Han Bing. The World Cup semifinal between Spain and France was a top clash between the world's No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams, as well as the strongest offense versus the strongest defense in the World Cup. However, the match turned into a one-sided technical domination by Spain. In the end, Spain defeated France 2-0 to advance to the final. As Spanish coach De la Fuente said after the match, Spain rediscovered the spirit of their 2010 World Cup victory. It was a complete triumph of technical football, a highly efficient team with balanced offense and defense and excellent coordination, thoroughly crushing another title contender that had a fatal flaw but could never recover.

Spain has defeated France for the third consecutive time in official knockout matches to reach the final, and is the first European team in history to achieve eight consecutive knockout wins in major tournaments (World Cup + continental competitions). After displaying astonishing technical superiority, defensive quality, and offensive efficiency, Spain not only replaced France as the world's No. 1 in the FIFA rankings, but OPTA also gave Spain a 56% probability to be the top favorite after their peak performance in the semifinal. Now, this nearly perfect team is just one step away from their second World Cup trophy and breaking the record for the longest unbeaten run in international matches (37 games).

Before the match, most people probably did not expect that this so-called "final before the final" would turn into such a one-sided technical demolition. Spain's Marca ran the headline: "Here we go again, it's true! World Cup final!" and even argued that the 2010 World Cup team with Iniesta, Xavi, and Busquets did not play as well as this squad. AS claimed that Spain's complete victory at the Dallas Stadium "taught the world a lesson": "Replace Durban 2010 with Dallas 2026, replace Puyol with Oyarzabal and Porro, and Spain is undoubtedly the best team of this World Cup. More importantly, Spain has won the admiration and respect of the fans, tamed the opponent's attacking geniuses, and completely silenced the most powerful attacking trident in the World Cup—Mbappé, Olise, and Dembélé. We did it perfectly."

This was a peak clash where both coaches engaged in a battle of wits, and players competed in technique and tactics. However, De la Fuente dared to bench Pedri and start Fabián Ruiz, which sparked huge controversy among Spanish media and fans before the match. Such a change in starters had already occurred in the quarterfinal against Belgium, and if it failed, De la Fuente would have been criticized for destroying the team. Deschamps made the wrong choices between Tchouaméni and Koné, and between Barcola and Doué, opting for the former in both cases, while also continuing to start Digne, who had been the biggest defensive weakness in previous matches.

It was at the 20th minute that Digne fouled Yamal in the penalty area, and two minutes later Oyarzabal opened the scoring. From that point on, the match was essentially without suspense. Spain's excellent team play and possession-based football made the game completely follow their rhythm. Through skillful midfield control, Spain cut off the "supply lines" of the French trident, making it difficult for France to create real scoring opportunities. At the same time, they fully exploited the weakness on Digne's side, preventing France from attacking with full force. In the 59th minute, Porro's shot sealed the victory for Spain, leaving France no chance of a comeback. In stoppage time, after a forced shot by Mbappé, his disappointed look as he looked up at the stadium clock said it all. He knew the match was over, but in fact, it had been essentially over since the middle of the first half.

As Marca said, this was a "victory of the whole" for Spanish football, a "complete performance of teamwork and possession football," and could even be considered "the greatest Spanish team we have ever seen." After the match, the Man of the Match award was given to Porro, but in fact Rodri should have been the recipient. The Manchester City midfielder performed at a top-level masterclass, completely controlling the midfield and leaving France with almost no opportunities.

Of course, an important reason was that France did not implement high-intensity pressing, allowing Spain to control the ball comfortably. But against this technically skilled and well-coordinated Spanish team, high pressing would inevitably lead to a drop in physical stamina, which would also give Spain opportunities in the second half. Spain's second goal was a combination of finesse and precision, plus a touch of flair. Olmo's assist to Porro's goal was a classic example of Spain's possession-based attacking tactics, and France's fragile left flank once again showed a fatal gap.

Before the match, the general consensus was that this would be a very close contest in terms of strength and performance. However, Spain's overall excellent display made the gap between the two teams far greater than the 2-0 scoreline suggested. Although the final statistics on shots, shots on target, possession, and fouls were roughly similar, France's expected goals (xG) was only 0.31, a huge contrast to their average of 2.5 goals per game in the previous six matches. In terms of creating scoring chances, Spain led 3-0, and they scored on both of their shots on target, achieving 100% efficiency. Moreover, Spain had Yamal, who kept the French defense on high alert. He won the early penalty that gave Spain the lead; although he did not dominate the game, he was a key factor that prevented France from taking risks.

Spain's defense allowed only 3 of France's 11 shots to be on target, and all of them were fruitless. In this World Cup, Spain has kept clean sheets in 6 of their 7 matches, setting a record for the best defense in a single World Cup. This Spanish team has a talent like Yamal, a midfield group led by Rodri with excellent coordination and technical skill, and a well-balanced defense. Whether it is England or Argentina, on July 19 in New Jersey, they will likely need an epic performance plus a bit of luck to defeat what De la Fuente calls "the best team in the world."