Vietnamese football experts dissect the French team's defeat

The opening semi-final of the 2026 World Cup concluded with a 2-0 triumph for Spain that left no room for doubt. It was a defeat the French team had to accept gracefully, facing an opponent that displayed remarkable agility, self-assurance, and versatility in their attempts on goal.

From the perspective of coach Phạm Thành Lương (assistant coach of CAHN Club), the fundamental reason for France's collapse was their lack of a true defensive midfielder in the central corridor, combined with a disorganized pressing system.

Former Vietnamese national team star analyzed: "I was truly amazed by Spain's calm and confident start. They executed excellent short passes through the middle to escape the press, while launching highly varied direct attacks.

Meanwhile, two major turning points completely ruined France's plans in this match. The first was the penalty conceded in the 22nd minute, which destroyed their intention to play a proactive counter-attacking defense.

When forced to push forward in search of an equalizer, France needed a genuine midfield destroyer to clear up the opponent's counterattacks. However, neither Aurélien Tchouaméni nor Adrien Rabiot managed to fulfill this duty.

They are modern midfielders who tend to organize, carry the ball, and support the defense, but they lack the skill set for ball recovery and aggressive tackling needed to control the central area.

The second turning point was William Saliba's injury in the 30th minute. Losing their defensive leader not only disrupted France's coherence when building from the back, but also removed a crucial aerial threat in dead-ball situations.

Furthermore, France's pressing system operated in a very fragmented and inconsistent manner, creating too many gaps for Spain's technical midfielders to exploit easily. It must also be acknowledged that their opponents played an outstanding match.

Especially Lamine Yamal, at just eighteen or nineteen years old, he played with remarkable composure and cunning. The leg entanglement that earned the penalty is a clear example of this young talent's craftiness.

Sharing the view on Spain's overwhelming strength, coach Nguyễn Sỹ Hải (U15 team of Hanoi Club) commented that the representatives of the bullfighting country completely dominated the game through their close-range combination play: "Spain is playing at a completely different level. They confidently organize diverse attacks, from the flanks to the center.

In particular, their forwards are extremely effective at holding up the ball to create space for the second line to surge forward and finish. The goal that made it 2-0 was a textbook example: the ball was played straight into the center for the striker to shield, opening up space for the midfielders to burst in and score.

Dani Olmo and Pedro Porro combined perfectly and accelerated the pace of the play. Spain forced France to play their way, completely imposing their game and dragging the opponent into the rhythm they desired.