Spain's meeting with France in the World Cup semifinals already had the makings of a heavyweight tie. Lamine Yamal has given it an edge. The 18-year-old Spain forward, one of the most exciting talents in the game, has said it is France who should be afraid, pointing to his side's recent record against them, ESPN reported.
The challenge
Yamal did not hide behind diplomacy. If anyone should fear anyone, he suggested, it is France who should fear Spain, and he noted that France had not beaten his team in their recent meetings, FOX Sports reported. His confidence is grounded in history: Spain beat France in the semifinals of the 2024 European Championship, a match in which Yamal, then still a teenager making his name, scored a memorable long-range goal, and they have had the better of the fixture since. For a player of his age to speak so boldly before a World Cup semifinal is striking, but it is of a piece with a Spain side that has grown used to backing itself.
How they got here
Both teams arrived in the last four by winning their quarterfinals. France, unbeaten in the tournament, beat Morocco to reach the semifinals, driven as ever by the threat of Kylian Mbappe. Spain came through a tighter test, edging Belgium 2-1 with a late winner from the substitute Mikel Merino after being made to work for it. The contrast in their routes hints at the contest to come: France efficient and dangerous on the break, Spain patient and possession-heavy, looking to control the game and wear opponents down.
What to expect
The tie pits two of the pre-tournament favorites and two contrasting styles against each other. Spain will want the ball and the tempo, trusting their passing to pull France out of shape; France will look to absorb that pressure and strike with the pace and quality of their forwards. Yamal himself, all fearless dribbling and end product, is exactly the kind of player who can decide a tight semifinal, which is part of why his words carry weight rather than sounding merely brash. Spain also know, though, that France have the individuals to punish overconfidence.
A rivalry renewed
Whatever the outcome, the meeting continues a rivalry that has become one of the defining fixtures of the international game, the two sides having repeatedly crossed paths at the business end of tournaments. For Spain, victory would be a statement that their recent superiority over France is real and holds on the biggest stage; for France, a chance to end a run of results that has plainly rankled. Yamal has ensured that, whatever else, the semifinal arrives with its temperature already rising. The football will now have to match the talk.
