Let us dispense with the notion of Spain as plucky underdogs once and for all. What we witnessed in this stadium was not a surprise result; it was a c...
Let us dispense with the notion of Spain as plucky underdogs once and for all. What we witnessed in this stadium was not a surprise result; it was a carefully orchestrated lesson in tactical authority, delivered with the sort of cold, clinical precision that leaves opponents bewildered and broken. France, the side so many had anointed as champions elect, were reduced to mere spectators, passengers in a game that slipped from their grasp inside the first half and never looked like returning.Didier Deschamps' feted attacking unit never got a sniff. Kylian Mbappé, the man who was supposed to conquer the globe once more, spent the evening as an isolated figure, suffocated by a Spanish low block that snuffed out his space with ruthless efficiency. The opening goal arrived via a penalty, awarded after Lucas Digne's dreadful defending, though the decision itself carried a whiff of good fortune about it. Mikel Oyarzabal, however, showed no mercy from the spot, converting emphatically, and that moment shifted the entire complexion of the contest. The jeopardy that followed was largely superficial, a mere mirage for anyone hoping for a French revival.Pedro Porro's second goal settled the affair with a slick, well worked move that sliced through the French lines like a hot knife through butter. Deschamps' side, dazed and resoundingly beaten, cut the figure of a team that simply could not comprehend what was happening to them. Spain dictated the tempo, controlled the transitional play, and exhibited a tactical flexibility that left their opponents chasing shadows. Nobody will make the mistake of underestimating their chances of seeing the job through now; this was a spectacular telling off, a warning shot fired across the bows of anyone foolish enough to write them off. The final in New Jersey awaits, and on this evidence, they will walk onto that pitch with the swagger of a side that knows exactly how to get the job done.
