France’s World Cup dream had already gone quiet by the time Lamine Yamal looked back on it. More than two months after Spain’s 2-0 semi-final victory on 14 July, the Barcelona winger said La Roja won the tactical contest by refusing to let France turn the night into a game of transitions.
Key takeaways
- Spain beat France 2-0 in the World Cup semi-final on 14 July.
- Lamine Yamal won the penalty converted by Mikel Oyarzabal in the 22nd minute.
- Pedro Porro added Spain’s second goal in the 58th minute.
- Yamal said Spain’s control of possession was the decisive element, rather than the opening penalty alone.
- Spain went on to defeat Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the final and lift the World Cup.
Yamal sees possession as Spain’s answer
Yamal described the meeting between two leading international sides as a special occasion, but believed Spain had imposed the match they wanted. “We produced an incredible performance,” he said. “We played the way we intended to play, dominated and made our game count.”
The 19-year-old identified France’s attacking strength as the central danger. In his view, teams have two possible approaches against Didier Deschamps’ side: accept an open contest full of counter-attacks, or deny France those spaces by keeping the ball.
“If the match opens up, France can probably punish you because of the quality they have in attack,” Yamal said. “The other way is to have the ball and dominate.”
Spain took the latter route after Oyarzabal’s 22nd-minute spot-kick. With their technical quality and a growing share of possession, Yamal felt the gap between the teams became increasingly clear.
Penalty did not settle the tie alone
The opening goal followed a foul by Lucas Digne on Yamal inside the French area. Oyarzabal converted from the spot, a moment that had been viewed by Deschamps and France captain Kylian Mbappé as highly influential in the outcome.
Yamal accepted that he had earned an important opportunity for his team, but rejected the suggestion that the semi-final was effectively decided at that stage. “It was a piece of play we won,” he said. “I got the penalty, but at 1-0 there were still countless things that could have happened.”
Porro’s strike shortly before the hour removed the remaining doubt, sending Spain into the World Cup final with a composed 2-0 win. La Roja then completed their campaign by beating Argentina 1-0 after extra time, repeating the scoreline of their 2010 final triumph over the Netherlands in South Africa.
