Barely twenty-three minutes into the FIFA World Cup 2026 Semi Final in Dallas, Mikel Oyarzabal slotted one home from the spot, putting France in an early, undeniable hole. This is the semifinal we've been waiting for, a clash between the all-conquering French and the defending EURO 2024 champions, Spain. But nobody expected France to be facing this kind of gut punch so early on July 13.
Spain Strikes First, France Makes a Mess
It was a tough sequence that led to Spain's opening goal. Just three minutes before Oyarzabal's strike, France's Lucas Digne received the ball in the box, trying to head it to himself and then whip it around. Instead, he only managed to catch Lamine Yamal, conceding an early penalty for Spain. What a nightmare! Oyarzabal, as expected, made no mistake from the spot, giving Spain the lead and leaving France scrambling. It's a massive challenge right out of the gate for Didier Deschamps' side.Injury Adds Insult to Early Disaster
As if being down a goal wasn't bad enough, France took another brutal hit at the 30-minute mark. William Saliba went down with an apparent non-contact injury, forcing an early substitution. Maxence Lacroix came on in his stead. Losing a defender like Saliba so early, especially when you're already chasing the game, is just brutal. We knew France had made some interesting changes to their lineup before the whistle, with Aurélien Tchouaméni coming in for Manu Koné in midfield and Bradley Barcola in for Désiré Doué. Michael Olise, the Bayern Munich phenom, is of course manning the No. 10 role and is one of their main danger men up front. Spain, on the other hand, rolled out with no changes to their starting eleven. They are looking solid right now.Can France's Starpower Dig Them Out?
Going into this game, everyone knew the stakes. Spain had even knocked France out of EURO 2024, so this was always going to be a cautious battle between two titans. The prediction was for France to win 2-1 in extra time, with most saying Spain had a good ride but that their fun ends now. The feeling was that Didier Deschamps has simply too much star power to be denied, with Olise expected to score an "absolute worldie" in extra time. Now, France needs that star power more than ever. Can Mbappé, Olise, and the rest of Les Bleus respond to this early deficit and injury? We're looking at a serious test for France here, and you just know everyone's eyes are locked on Olise to see if he can deliver that extra time magic earlier than expected. This semifinal is already wild, and it's far from over.This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.