5 min readJul 15, 2026 09:13 PM IST
Before Pedro Porro slotted his shot past Mike Maignan, before Mikel Oyarzabal’s penalty nestled into the corner, and before Lucas Digne kicked Lamine Yamal inside the box, France had an opportunity.
Ousmane Dembele found Kylian Mbappe through on goal. It was the only occasion where the Spanish defence was caught napping — Pedro Porro was approximately 15 metres behind Mbappe. And yet, an incredible recovery run prevented the French captain from scoring.
Despite being approximately 15 metres behind, Pedro Porro prevented Kylian Mbappe from scoring from this position. (Zee5 screenshot)
This might look like an isolated moment, but the accumulation of many such moments led to Spain’s 2-0 semi-final win over France. The scoreline does not flatter to deceive. The French, blessed with the most intimidating front quartet of this tournament, created 0.48 expected goals. Only three attempts on target — two in injury time. The very French who had scored in all of their last 19 matches. Nullified. Blunted.
Here’s a look at how Luis de la Fuente tactically outclassed Didier Deschamps.
AS IT HAPPENED | France vs Spain, FIFA World Cup semifinal
Spain goes left
Spain went left against France, and it proved to be the right decision.
La Roja had built primarily down their right flank in the previous two matches. Against Belgium, they entered the final third 37 times from the right compared to 28 from the left. The simple explanation for this is a flourishing partnership between Pedro Porro and Lamine Yamal on the right. Add Pau Cubarsí’s line-breaking passing from right centre-back — the highest in Spain’s squad entering the match — and the route seemed obvious.
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But Didier Deschamps anticipated it. Mbappe was instructed to pin Cubarsi and block passing lanes, while Bradley Barcola replaced Desire Doué to track Porro’s overlapping runs better with his pace.
For the first 20 minutes, it worked. Spain created 0.05 xG. Only one attempt. What Deschamps underestimated was De la Fuente’s patience.
Spain were content with a 0-0 slugfest. France, given all their attacking riches, were not. A switch was inevitable. And so it happened — Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise swapped positions.
That was the invitation Spain had been waiting for.
Olise’s defensive work has never matched his elegance on the ball. Sensing vulnerability down France’s right, Spain overloaded the left flank. Cucurella ventured forward to be a left-winger, while Alex Baena drifted inside, dragging his marker, Jules Kounde, alongside. With Cubarsi pinned back, Aymeric Laporte assumed responsibility for breaking lines.
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The opening goal emerged directly from that adjustment. Laporte released Cucurella, whose unchallenged cross found Lucas Digne scrambling into a clumsy foul. Penalty. 1-0.
The set-up that led to Spain’s penalty: Alex Baena drifting inside and dragging Jules Kounde with him, and Marc Cucurella occupying the left-winger’s position (Zee5 screenshot)
The false 9 of a false 9
Against Deschamps’ man-to-man defence, de la Fuente devised an ingenious plan. Spain’s highest player was often not Mikel Oyarzabal, but Dani Olmo. The positional confusion paved the way for the second goal.
Oyarzabal’s decoy run drew his marker with him, opening the central lane for Olmo to combine with Porro before the full-back calmly finished beyond Mike Maignan.
Mikel Oyarzabal’s decoy run opens up space for Dani Olmo. (Zee5 screenshot)
Olmo was also the lynchpin of the Spanish press. One such sequence almost yielded another goal when Maignan, hurried under pressure, sliced a clearance straight to Baena.
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Olmo’s pressing resulted in Mike Maignan miscuing his shot. (Zee5 screenshot)
Unai Simon: More than a shot-stopper
Unai Simon will rightly receive the acclaim for becoming the first goalkeeper to keep six clean sheets in a single World Cup, but his influence extends far beyond shot-stopping.
Simon ranked second among 32 players for attempted line-breaks (26). His long ball in the 35th minute found Baena unmarked, and would have elicited a penalty, had the winger timed his run to perfection.
Unai Simon’s deliveries split France’s defence open. (Zee5 screenshot)
That aside, his outings have been impeccable. In the 42nd, 81st and 82nd minutes, he thwarted three possible goals with his outings.
The timing of Simons’ outings were impeccable. (Zee5 screenshot)
The non-negotiable
Among de la Fuente’s key postulates is equality in defending. “Defending is everyone’s responsibility. Everyone has to defend with the same intensity,” he said during the 2021 U-21 Euros.
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Not even Lamine Yamal is exempt. In the 76th minute, Spain’s wunderkind tracked Mbappe and tackled the French captain. Contrast this with Spain’s second goal. Despite coming only seconds earlier, Doue does not track his runner, Porro.
In de la Fuente’s Spain, not even Lamine Yamal is exempt from defensive duties. (AP Photo)
“We’ve recaptured the spirit of 2010. We were up against one of the best teams in the world, but they were up against the best team in the ?world,” de la Fuente said after the match.
Indeed, Spain are looking like their 2010 selves. And, they are 90 — possibly 120 — minutes away from being the undisputed best team in the world.
