Spain absolutely derailed France with a decisive 2-0 win in Tuesday's men's World Cup semifinal match, securing their spot in Sunday's World Cup Final for the first time since 2010. Despite everyone talking about France as the clear favorite, it's now crystal clear many of us totally underestimated just how good this Spanish squad truly is.
Spain's Defense Is Seriously Underrated
Man, the Spanish defense absolutely went to work. They systematically dismantled Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, and the rest of the French offense. We're talking a complete lockdown, giving up zero goals in a 2-0 stunner. Heading into this World Cup Final, Spain's defense has conceded just a *single* goal the entire tournament. That's not just good, that's absurd. This team, featuring Lamine Yamal, plays with a discipline and technical skill that is just next level, battling for every single blade of grass out there.Deschamps Knew All Along
Here's the wild part: French manager Didier Deschamps wasn't buying into the France-as-favorite hype. He actually fought back against that sentiment with his pre-match comments, praising Spain's defense. At the time, you could just chalk it up to a coach trying to motivate his guys against elite competition, right? But nope. Turns out Deschamps was being totally candid. He knew what France was up against. He saw this Spanish team, and his assessment of their disciplined and technical soccer came to fruition big time. He called it, and everyone else got surprised. No one's underestimating Spain anymore. Spain is now waiting for their final opponent, who will be the winner of Wednesday's other World Cup semifinal between Argentina and England. That match kicks off at 3:00 p.m. Eastern. The loser of that game will face France in the third-place game on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. Eastern.This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.