France coach Didier Deschamps proved himself a master chemist throughout the tournament, mixing oil and water and turning it into liquid gold.
His famous front four of Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise and the pair of Bradley Barcola and Désiré Douai meshed together in a way that forced other teams into retirement and delighted fans with their poetic entertainment.
Deschamps has transformed this team in a relatively short period of time and now, although he insists Spain will be favorites in the World Cup semi-finals in Dallas, he is not fooling anyone.
Didier Deschamps led France to victory at the 2018 World Cup and his team are again title favorites. (Getty Images)
La Roja, although not as creatively brilliant as Le Bleus in North America, was defensively stingy and cunning, always finding a way out of adversity.
Plus they have a certain teenager who hasn’t really exploded in this tournament yet, and a coach who evokes the aura of the Roman Empire.
They have the upper hand in the latest meetings of the European powers and have the decisive and courageous attitude to match it.
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The irresistible chemistry of France
The clash between the parties will take place on July 14 local time, the national holiday of France – Bastille Day.
France emerged victorious in a hard-fought battle with Paraguay on American Independence Day and is now hoping to do even better in its own celebrations.
Captain Kylian Mbappe scored eight goals in the tournament. (Getty Images: Jussi Eskola)
It is fitting that they are playing on a day of such national significance when others have tried to stir up division and hatred during this tournament.
There was a horrific racist speech by a Paraguayan senator towards Mbappe, the former prime minister of Spain, who said they had “no French players”, as well as a wider undertone of racist comments during World Cup coverage.
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But this is the most culturally diverse men’s tournament in history, and it is the multitude of highly skilled players in France, combined with a shared vision, that has made it so powerful here.
“This French team has players from different backgrounds and origins, just like the country. We are one group, one team and that’s all that matters,” midfielder Warren Zaire-Emery said.
This was evident in the way this team performed.
By the logic of many experts, so many brilliant attacking players should not be able to fit into the starting XI, let alone split up the opposition the way they do.
Michael Olise with an incredible strike for France that almost went wide. (Getty Images: Mattia Ozboth)
But Deschamps found a way to make it work, as well as a willingness from the players to buy into his vision and put aside any semblance of ego to work as a collective.
Michael Olise’s five best assists of the tournament are proof of that. Even though Mbappe’s eight goals grabbed the headlines, Olise won countless fans.
Midfielder Adrien Rabiot admits the chemistry between them is undeniable and unquantifiable.
“Off the field we all get along very well and I think that explains a lot of our success. These things are reflected on the field,” he said.
He also noted that Deschamps had to leave the US briefly to attend his mother’s funeral, which brought them closer together.
“We want to give our best also because this is his last tournament as head coach of France. There are many things that make us feel that now is the right time,” Rabiot said.
Ousmane Dembele has scored five goals so far. (Getty Images: Daniel Castelo Branco)
Deschamps was annoyed when asked about France’s last two defeats to Spain (both semi-finals, by the way) in the 2025 UEFA Nations League and Euro 2024, and the criticism he faced then.
“If we were criticized two years ago, I think we’ve been criticized for 12 years, right?” – said Deschamps.
“Will it be a struggle on the field, and will the struggle be similar? Well, there is no revenge, the past is in the past.”
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Spanish Roman Empire
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente is known for his love of the Roman Empire, and although his team’s journey has not been as brilliant as France’s, it is consistent with his philosophy.
Luis de la Fuente quoted Julius Caesar before the final four match. (Getty Images: Florence Tan Jun)
“Julius Caesar, one of the greatest conquerors in history, said that there are no great achievements without suffering, and I completely agree with that,” de la Fuente said.
“This is one of the expressions that I like and that I always share with my players and staff.
“If you want to achieve great things in life, you have to leave something along the way and suffer a lot. And we are here to suffer.”
This hasn’t been a difficult campaign for Spain, but they have struggled in some games. Notably, they opened with a scoreless draw against Cape Verde and relied on substitute Mikel Merino to save them at the end of the knockout series.
Spaniard Mikel Merino scored in two consecutive playoff matches off the bench. (Reuters: Kai Pfaffenbach)
While Les Bleus were the tournament’s second-best attacking team behind Argentina, La Roja excelled defensively, conceding just once in their quarter-final win over Belgium.
And they currently have the most possession of any team, something they should use against France’s impressive quartet.
“The fact is that we have to play an almost perfect match, we need the ball. I think that without the ball they can suffer a lot,” said Spain midfielder Alex Baena.
Lamin Yamal, who turned 19 today, has scored only one goal so far. He insisted it didn’t bother him and his coach predicted the situation would soon change.
Lamin Yamal says he doesn’t feel pressure to score in the semi-finals. (Getty Images: Justin Setterfield)
“I insist that Lamin’s big day at this World Cup is still ahead. So I hope that tomorrow will be his day, if not the final, if we qualify,” said de la Fuente.
Yamal does not succumb to any external pressure or expectations and today once again strengthened its statements that it is not afraid of a clash with France.
But not in an arrogant way, but rather in a form expressed in facts.
“They asked me if I was afraid of France and I said no because we are European champions and I’m not afraid of anyone,” he said.
Without fear or favor, through suffering or spectacle, only one of Europe’s heavyweights will have the last word.