Published Jul 15, 2026, 11:26 AM ET · Updated 4 months ago · 1 source
Where did it go wrong for France against Spain – and what comes next?
guardian
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Original Report
INFERY
F or the last few weeks, France had seemed destined to reach their third straight World Cup final, but in the end they were overrun by a more tactically coherent Spain team in the semi-finals. Once France went behind to Mikel Oyarzabal’s penalty in the 22nd minute – the first time they had trailed in the tournament – Didier Deschamps’ side never looked like mounting a comeback. There would be no bolt from the blue from Kylian Mbappé, with the match instead plodding along to its logical conclusio