By: Leo Hewitt-Provost
A few remaining teams in the tournament have yet to convince anyone that they deserve to win the entire thing, but one thing is for sure, Spain thoroughly deserves to be where they are.
Perhaps a surprise to some to see Spain play this well, they were not picked as favorites, but they topped the group of death, they then beat a very good Georgia team in the round of 16, and defeated Germany, the host, at the very end of extra time in the quarter-finals.
On the other hand, France has struggled to produce anything going forward; it has not been a pretty display, and many criticize Didier Deschamps’ way of doing things, for not taking enough risks. For many, we are far from the France of the 2018 World Cup, and even from the one we saw in Qatar in 2022… The star of the French team Kylian Mbappé hasn’t been able to shine, and against Portugal, he was replaced by the young PSG player Bradley Barcola in extra time, who was able to show all his young talent when he converted his penalty to defeat Cristiano Ronaldo’s team.
On paper, it is a dream match between the two giants of Europe that presents itself before us, a match which should in theory offer us a spectacle, but the reality is that this match will be won both physically and mentally, as it has often been in the case during this tournament. In the 48 matches we have seen so far, this tournament clearly tells us that to win a game at the highest of levels, you must be defensively sound. Even if Spain plays well going forward with its young wingers Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal, the coach of the national team Luis de la Fuente knows that he will have to work on the defensive aspect of his team, he will have to play without two of his most important defensive assets Robin Le Normand and Dani Carvajal, both suspended.
The one thing that France has been able to show is unity and belief, they have probably been the best defensive team of the entire tournament, having only conceded one penalty against Poland. The defense of 4 with Théo Hernandez, Dayot Upamecano, William Saliba, and Jules Koundé is perhaps the best defense in the world, and with Mike Maignan in front of the goal, it has been very difficult for opponents to score.
This match that opposes Spain to France will be won in midfield, France has been able to play with their most important asset in Ngolo Kante, who has been crucial for the national team and is able to cover every inch of the field in 120 minutes if needed. He will be very important for France and will be able to block Spain’s possession in the middle of the park.
The battle between key players in this match will be fascinating to watch, Marc Cucurella has had a very good tournament and will face Kylian Mbappe on the left-hand side of the field, so that will be a challenge. On the other hand, we have the talented 16-year-old winger Yamine Lamal who will be in a 1v1 confrontation against Jules Kounde, France’s most improved player during the tournament.
It’s a hard game to call, if France wants to win, they will need their star player Kylian Mbappe to perform like he did in 2018 and 2022, because they might just need him against a very good Spanish side. This could go all the way.