How to explain it. How to explain that Spain, so calm, so serene, brushing off a speck of dust from the lapel of the jacket, whistling, almost with a toothpick in the mouth, unsettled France, the all-powerful France, the unattainable France, the majestic France, and disoriented it, dissolved it, disintegrated it, played with it like a kitten with a ball of yarn, distracted it with a toy to focus on the spoon and not on the vegetables, and ended up playing keep-away with it, showing the ball and taking it away, showing it and taking it away, all amidst the cheers of an astonished audience, amazed to see how Spain, what a team!, reduced the favorite, the unattainable, the all-powerful France to nothing.
Spain will play the World Cup final, the second in its history, after a wonderful display of collective football, a truly unforgettable day in Spanish football history, the day when the team of Luis de la Fuente, a masterpiece, dismantled the top contender while chewing gum and earned their well-deserved ticket to fight for their second World Cup, almost nothing, 16 years later. Spain is a monumental team. Perhaps not with the same number of stars as others (or maybe yes, who knows), but with a strength, that of the group, that makes it unstoppable. The image of superiority over France, regardless of what happens in this World Cup, will remain in history.
It is hard to imagine a World Cup semifinal without the heart in the mouth, with two wonderful teams, each in their style, seeking the top step of the tournament. As soon as the ball started rolling, the entire Dallas stadium held its breath with each touch, each pass, each attempt at this or that. The level of the competition and the names of the contenders predicted a top-notch match, and it was. De la Fuente fielded the same 11 as against Belgium. Fabián kept his place instead of Pedri and doubts were dispelled on the right side in favor of Pedro Porro. It could have been considered to include Llorente to contain Barcola, the surprise addition alongside Tchouaméni by Deschamps, but no, the same players as against Belgium played.
France presented itself as the tournament's beauty, undoubtedly the best team until yesterday, the most brilliant, with a dazzling offensive potential, and right from the start, Baena lost two balls in five minutes that sent adrenaline soaring, already running wild for the entire session. Spain made an effort not to lose the ball, but gradually became more comfortable and dared to outplay the opponent with passes through the lines. No one better for that than Dani Olmo, who demonstrated how to generate an advantage and face the goal with a single touch.
The team didn't create much, but was not in trouble, partly because all eleven players were aware of the need for a monumental defensive balance as soon as there was a loss, which was rare. Whether pressing the ball possessor or running back like animals, France was unable throughout the match to unleash its intimidating speed or its fascinating quality, for example, in the boots of Olise. Their four forwards, Mbappé, Olise, Dembélé, and Barcola, spent most of the time chasing the ball, which tires and frustrates.
The match was evenly poised when Digne made a mistake trying to control the ball. He did so poorly with his head and, in attempting to clear, the ball got stuck between his leg and Lamine, who received a kick. Oyarzabal, without unnecessary runs, shot strong and to the side, as he does. With Spain in the lead, they doubled down, and in the 37th minute, a great play between Lamine and Olmo, Olmo and Lamine, almost resulted in the second goal. Lacroix, who had come in for the injured Saliba, saved Fabián's shot. Regarding Lamine, it is worth noting the penalty play, which is not insignificant, but it was the match where the team least sought him out. Perhaps France, expecting that, failed to see that their opponent mainly attacked from the other side.
After the break, Deschamps brought in Koné for Rabiot, who was on a yellow card. Spain returned to the field knowing that if they kept a clean sheet, they would reach the final, but not content with that, they kept playing, and playing, and playing, and they stepped up, and up, and up, and a pass from the right-back to Olmo, the standout alongside Rodri, left Pedro Porro alone against Maignan. He finished as any top-level striker would.
Soon after, another goal came, this one disallowed for Lamine by a hair. France, frustrated, tried to get back into the game as best they could. The good thing for them is that they don't need much to make a comeback. De la Fuente brought in Ferran Torres for a exhausted Oyarzabal, the first substitution when France had already made all theirs, even replacing Olise to try with Cherki. Pedri and Mikel Merino came on to keep possession and deny the ball to France. They showed it to them, but didn't give it to them.