Sports
Spain crashes Paris party by beating France in the World Cup semis
Dreams of reaching the World Cup final for a third time running were dashed when France were beaten 2-0 by Spain in the semifinal. But at a World Cup viewing party in Paris, many fans admitted the Spaniards were the better team. Al Jazeera’s Natacha Butler was there.
Follow Al Jazeera English:
Share
In a country where soccer inspires a near-religious devotion, such rituals, fans say, offer a sense of control over a result that ultimately remains beyond their influence.
France lost the 2022 World Cup final to Argentina and have now fallen to Spain in three straight major semi-finals, at Euro 2024, the Nations League and Tuesday's 2-0 World Cup defeat
Spain, who won their first World Cup 16 years ago, neutralised a France attack that had scored 16 goals before the semi-final and had been regarded as one of the tournament's most dangerous
Spain, who won their first World Cup in South Africa in 2010, produced a disciplined display to contain a France side that had scored 16 goals before the semi-final and had been considered among the tournament's most potent attacking teams
Argentina are 'in good shape' and have no concerns over fatigue as the world champions look to book another final.
France striker admits Spain controlled the game and made them pay for errors in the semifinal in Dallas.
Striker says FIFA's decision to suspend his one-match ban led to 'a lot of outside noise' before USA's knockout match.
Porro finished clinically to make it 2-0 after Spain continued to dominate proceedings following Mikel Oyarzabal's first-half penalty
