France vs. Spain Player Ratings: Emphatic Statement Made in World Cup Semifinal
Spain produced a performance laden with technical majesty and control to stymie a feared France team and reach its second World Cup final.
England or Argentina await the European champions in Sunday’s showpiece event, having flummoxed Les Bleus in Dallas and coasted to a 2–0 victory.
Spain broke the deadlock from the penalty spot after Lamine Yamal caught Lucas Digne on his blindside, taking a kick from France’s left back to leave referee Iván Barton with no choice but to point to the spot. Mikel Oyarzabal made no mistake from 12 yards, and Spain never looked back.
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Luis de la Fuente’s collective juggernaut rendered France a group of disconnected individuals, with Didier Deschamps’s ’team’ wilting in the face of Spanish cohesion. The majority thought France could only improve after a tepid first half, but Spain merely doubled down on its superiority over a gaunt opponent.
La Roja’s second goal—a slick Pedro Porro finish—came after a patient passing move and was just reward for their superiority. France never threatened a serious push late on, with Spain’s stellar defense coming to the fore, ensuring Unai Simón recorded another shutout.
Whoever progresses from Wednesday’s semifinal has their work cut out at MetLife Stadium.
One Thing We Can’t Ignore
Lamine Yamal didn’t hide his confidence after Spain’s 2–1 victory over Belgium set up this semifinal clash against a French team widely regarded as the most impressive at the tournament to date.
“If anyone should be afraid, it should be them—we knocked them out of the Euros,” the teenager commented, triggering a retort from the French camp. Yamal starred in La Roja’s Euro 2024 semifinal win against an insipid Les Bleus, then scored twice in the chaotic 5–4 UEFA Nations League triumph last year.
The winger believed Spain had France’s number, and social media taunts in the build-up to kickoff in Dallas meant Yamal had no choice but to walk the walk.
And while this wasn’t a Yamal performance that’ll be regarded as his finest, Spain’s absurdly impressive collective effort backed up his prematch swagger. La Roja were aided by a couple of tactical blunders from Deschamps and William Saliba’s injury, but that shouldn’t detract from the level of performance the European champions produced on Tuesday afternoon.
Now the teenager, who hasn’t sparkled in North America to the extent fellow superstars have, is a game away from adding soccer‘s most illustrious prize to a CV that may well rival anybody’s when it’s all said and done.
France Player Ratings vs. Spain (4-2-3-1)
GK: Mike Maignan—5.6: Spain’s pressing unnerved him once or twice, but Maignan was hardly the reason for France’s dire display.
RB: Jules Koundé—6.6: Offered some thrust from right back, and produced an excellent cross that represented France’s brightest moment of the first half.
CB: Dayot Upamecano—6.4: Upamecano has had an excellent tournament, but France’s backline struggled mightily in the absence of his partner.
CB: William Saliba—5.9: The defender‘s body finally gave way. France had successfully managed his back injury up until the semifinal, where he was forced off after 30 minutes.
LB: Lucas Digne—6.1: Caught off guard by Yamal to gift Spain an early penalty, and he spent the remainder of the contest petrified to defend.
CM: Aurélien Tchouaméni—6.9: Tchouaméni just couldn’t compete with the Spaniards in the middle of the park. The Real Madrid midfielder struggled to provide a spark in and out of possession.
CM: Adrien Rabiot—7.4: Deschamps had no choice but to withdraw Rabiot at halftime. He was booked early on, and he came mightily close to receiving a second yellow before the interval.
RW: Ousmane Dembélé—6.4: This was as poor as Dembélé has performed in a very long time. Nothing clicked for the Ballon d’Or holder, and he offered his fullback barely any defensive support.
AM: Michael Olise—6.3: Olise floated around in a bid to influence proceedings, but he was often stymied by the Spanish wall in midfield. Withdrawn after the second hydration break.
LW: Bradley Barcola—6.2: Would’ve fancied his chances up against Porro, beating Spain’s right back early. However, his moments one-on-one were limited before his withdrawal before the hour mark.
ST: Kylian Mbappé—5.4: Must’ve had flashbacks to previous Clásicos against Hansi Flick’s Barcelona. This was Mbappé of Real Madrid against supreme opposition. Frustrated.
SUB: Maxence Lacroix (30’ for Saliba)—6.6: Switched off completely during Spain’s second goal sequence.
SUB: Manu Koné (46’ for Rabiot)—6.0: Harshly dropped from the starting lineup, but couldn’t ignite the engine room after halftime.
SUB: Désiré Doué (57’ for Barcola)—6.9: His limp effort from distance when Unai Simón was caught miles off his line summed up France’s performance.
SUB: Rayan Cherki (72’ for Olise)—6.8: Inspired a resurgence the last time these two met, but Spain was far too dialled in for such drama to play out here.
SUB: Theo Hernández (72’ for Digne)—6.1: Grateful that he only played a chunk of the contest up against Lamine Yamal.
Subs not used: Brice Samba (GK), Robin Risser (GK), Malo Gusto, Marcus Thuram, N’Golo Kanté, Ibrahima Konaté, Warren Zaïre-Emery, Lucas Hernández, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Maghnes Akliouche.
Spain Player Ratings vs. France (4-2-3-1)
GK: Unai Simón—8.2: Simón made a couple of crucial interventions to deny France from breaking in behind Spain’s defense.
RB: Pedro Porro—8.1: Plenty feared for the Tottenham Hotspur right back here, but Porro responded with an excellent performance highlighted by a cool finish to double La Roja’s lead.
CB: Pau Cubarsí—7.7: Continues to perform well beyond his years. Cubarsí closely monitored Mbappé and was partly responsible for nullifying France’s leading goalscorer.
CB: Aymeric Laporte—7.4: Laporte has struggled to put a foot wrong all tournament, and the French-born defender had the bit between his teeth here. He marshalled Spain’s defense expertly.
LB: Marc Cucurella—7.6: Cucurella’s cross led to Spain’s penalty, but his performance was impressive due to his defensive diligence, especially after receiving a first-half booking.
CM: Rodri—7.6: Rodri looks like Rodri again, folks. Be warned.
CM: Fabián Ruiz—8.0: Spain’s unheralded hero from Euro 2024 is at it again, with De la Fuente’s decision to drop Pedri in favor of the PSG star proving an astute one.
AM: Dani Olmo—7.3: Yet to score at the World Cup, but Olmo made a telling contribution, creating Spain’s second goal with a perfectly weighted wall pass into the feet of Porro.
RW: Lamine Yamal—7.4: The teenager has mastered the details of wing play that only seasoned veterans are meant to be aware of, with his crafty, cunning nature helping Spain to victory here.
ST: Mikel Oyarzabal—7.7: Took his penalty with the conviction that defined Spain‘s performance. Oyarzabal otherwise dovetailed neatly in and out of the contest with a sumptuous flick here and there.
LW: Alex Baena—6.9: It may not have quite clicked for Baena in possession, but his defensive effort was outstanding. Marc Cucurella received constant support.
SUB: Ferran Torres (74’ for Oyarzabal)—6.3: Came close to adding a third after coming on.
SUB: Mikel Merino (78’ for Olmo)—6.2: His heroics weren’t needed off the bench this time.
SUB: Pedri (78’ for Fabián)—6.2: Reduced to a role off the bench thanks to Fabián’s brilliance.
SUB: Marcos Llorente (84’ for Porro)—N/A
SUB: Nico Williams (84’ for Baena)—N/A
Subs not used: David Raya (GK), Joan García (GK), Eric García, Alex Grimaldo, Martín Zubimendi, Víctor Muñoz, Yéremy Pino, Gavi, Marc Pubill, Borja Iglesias.
What the Ratings Tell Us
- Luis de la Fuente has reverted to the Spain midfield that purred during the latter stages of Euro 2024, with Fabián Ruiz coming in for Pedri. The Barcelona man ranks among the world’s best at his position, but Fabián is fresher and perhaps a more suitable partner for Rodri. Paris Saint-Germain’s unheralded star was a standout performer two summers ago, although the future Ballon d’Or winner earned much of the praise. Now, Fabián is delivering for his country again after a slow start to the tournament.
- Pep Guardiola insisted back in October that Rodri would be back to his best level by the time the World Cup came around, and the former Manchester City manager’s prediction has come true. A sense of imperiousness has returned to Rodri’s play in the knockout stages, and he made a mightily difficult role in Dallas appear no more daunting than a stroll in the park. City supporters must be encouraged after his up-and-down 2025–26 season, even if he’s set to undergo surgery after the tournament.
- It was billed as a contest between French individualism and Spanish control, with the latter winning out emphatically. France’s four horsemen in attack were mightily out of sync, compromised by La Roja’s unrelenting work out of possession. Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise and Bradley Barcola were all off color, while Désiré Doué failed to make a difference off the bench.
The Numbers That Explain Spain’s Stellar Victory
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- Mikel Oyarzabal’s penalty was the only shot on target in a first half controlled by Spain. France was limited to a meagre 0.04 xG from two hopeful shots.
- France‘s overall xG improved to just 0.30 at the end of 90 minutes, with Spain’s taming of Les Bleus refusing to cease from start to finish.
- Spain scored with its only two shots on target, but did create three big chances compared to France’s zero. La Roja dominated the xG battle, too.
- Spain has become the first European nation to win eight consecutive knockout matches at major tournaments.
Statistic | France | Spain |
|---|---|---|
Possession | 49% | 51% |
xG | 0.30 | 1.63 |
Total Shots | 10 | 10 |
Shots on Target | 3 | 2 |
Big Chances | 0 | 3 |
Pass Accuracy | 84% | % |
Fouls | 11 | 12 |
Corners | 7 | 1 |
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