France put past behind them as history beckons against Spain

By Julien Pretot and Fernando Kallas

France are one victory from extending one of the most extraordinary eras of World Cup dominance, with a third successive final and a fifth appearance in the showpiece match in eight tournaments within reach when they face Spain on Tuesday.

To get there, Didier Deschamps’ side must overcome the team who have repeatedly blocked their path in recent years and whose defence has only once been breached at this tournament.

Spain, who have had a see-saw progression here, eliminated France in the Euro 2024 semifinals and beat them again in a nine-goal Nations League thriller last year, but this time Les Bleus arrive with the competition’s two most prolific forwards — Kylian Mbappé on eight goals and Ousmane Dembele on five — and a lot more balanced team.

There is considerable continuity between the teams who met in Munich two years ago, when Spain recovered from Randal Kolo Muani’s early header to win 2-1 with goals from Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo.

Seven of the players who started for France that night could again be in the line-up in Dallas, but the resemblance largely ends there.

France arrived at the Euro 2024 semifinal as a team still searching for fluency.

Mbappé had been hampered by the fractured nose he suffered in their opening game, Antoine Griezmann was struggling to impose himself and the side had reached the last four despite failing to score freely from open play.

Their progress in the US has been built on a very different foundation.

Mbappé and Dembele have scored 13 goals between them, Michael Olise has provided invention and control between the lines while Bradley Barcola and Désiré Doué have offered another explosive option either from the start or off the bench.

France have become more coherent without the ball and more varied with it, capable of attacking at speed, slowing down the game or defending in a compact block for long periods without appearing uncomfortable.

That tactical flexibility was evident in their 2-0 quarterfinal victory over Morocco, when they resisted pressure, denied their opponents clear chances and waited patiently for the openings that eventually decided the match.

It is precisely that balance which will be tested against Spain, who will be able to rely on Lamine, a player rediscovering his groove after arriving at the tournament nursing a hamstring injury.

Luis de la Fuente’s side have retained the collective philosophy that carried them to the European title, using possession not merely to create chances but to suffocate opponents and protect their own defence.

Their record of one goal conceded underlines how rarely teams have been able to play through them, though Belgium showed during Spain’s 2-1 quarterfinal win that they can be unsettled when opponents escape the initial press and attack the space behind their midfield.

France appear better equipped than most to exploit those moments.

Mbappé’s pace will discourage Spain’s defenders from holding too high a line, while Dembele’s ability to attack from the flank can create uncertainty over where the greatest threat will emerge.

We are the only ones to have beaten them twice in a row, but this third match will be very different.

Olise, meanwhile, has become one of France’s most important connectors, drifting inside to combine with the midfield before brutally accelerating attacks.

Deschamps will need to decide whether he wants to reinforce the midfield or remain faithful to the attacking structure that has made France the tournament’s most feared side.

Committing four attacking players would give Spain more to worry about but could also leave France exposed if their press is bypassed.

“We are the only ones to have beaten them twice in a row, but this third match will be very different,” De la Fuente said after the victory over Belgium.

“These are two very high-level teams who are going to face each other.”

France, however, have history within reach.

They reached the World Cup final in 1998, 2006, 2018 and 2022, winning twice, and victory in Dallas would send them into a fifth final in eight tournaments.

It would also make them the first nation since Brazil between 1994 and 2002 to appear in three consecutive World Cup finals.