Overview
- Spain beat France 2-0 in the World Cup semifinal in Arlington, Dallas, with a penalty won by Lamine Yamal leading to Mikel Oyarzabal’s opener and Pedro Porro adding a second goal.
- The victory on Tuesday, July 14, highlighted Spain’s possession-based, highly rehearsed system that TV experts and analysts said neutralised France’s individual stars and made Spain the tournament favorite.
- France will play for third place and faces a leadership change after the loss, with heavy criticism of the squad’s cohesion and reports that Didier Deschamps’s long tenure will end after the match.
- The defeat touched off large-scale unrest in France, with the Interior Ministry reporting incidents in 183 cities, hundreds arrested, dozens of police injured and a fatal shooting in Grenoble under investigation; hours later two masked men attempted to break into Lamine Yamal’s Esplugues de Llobregat home but fled and police are reviewing CCTV.
- Separately, the German Football Association told its bodies it has made positive progress in talks to appoint Jürgen Klopp as national coach, saying key contract points are largely agreed though commercial and release terms remain to be finalised.