Despite all the aura surrounding the French national football team, the 'Roosters' collapsed at the first serious test of their credentials for the 2026 World Cup, as their tournament run ended surprisingly with a 0-2 loss to Spain in the semifinals on Tuesday. France's performance was as poor as it was during the first hour of the 2022 World Cup final against Argentina. But on that night, France managed to come back, eventually losing on penalties, and left proud to have contributed to one of the greatest World Cup matches.

The roosters failed, and the French team found no similar consolation, appearing helpless against their Spanish counterparts who managed the match brilliantly. It was as if those who considered France the favorite to win the tournament had completely misjudged the balance of power, and the French players themselves had also misjudged it. Rayan Cherki, the French player who came off the bench in the second half, said: 'We knew their main strength lies in their ability to play at a deceptive tempo, sometimes slowing down the game; we had to do the same. It was harder than we expected.' As for Spain, led by Lamine Yamal, who confidently declared that France should be the ones to fear, they understood it perfectly.

The symbol of failure was Michael Olise, emblematic of France's resounding defeat in the match. Olise, hailed as a classic playmaker and a contender for the Ballon d'Or, looked completely lost on the Dallas turf. Lacking space and ideas, he lost the ball repeatedly and was entirely outplayed by Rodri, who imposed himself strongly, moving seamlessly across midfield. Olise (24) lost the ball 20 times and failed to complete any dribble, a disappointing performance for a player France relied on to break through the Spanish defense. However, Olise was not the only French forward whose role disappeared in crucial moments. Ousmane Dembélé posed little threat, and Bradley Barcola and Désiré Doué were equally ineffective, making France's much-vaunted attack look strangely impotent. The magical moment Kylian Mbappé was waiting for never came; the loudest cheers from the crowd only occurred when David and Victoria Beckham appeared on the giant screen.

Weak Position: France looked weak throughout the match against a team that was ready and able to face them head-on. The opponent quickly overpowered the double pivot that Deschamps relied on in midfield. Adrien Rabiot received an early yellow card that diminished his aggression, while Aurélien Tchouaméni, lacking rhythm and fitness after missing the previous two matches due to a hamstring injury, struggled to keep up with Spain's midfield. The defense was left exposed, and the team was punished for two mistakes: first a penalty converted by Mikel Oyarzabal for the opener after 22 minutes, then a goal by Pedro Porro before the hour mark. At the final whistle, Mbappé stood alone on the pitch, some teammates collapsed to the ground, while others covered their faces with their hands. All the talk about cohesion and unity, repeated so often until the eve of the match, suddenly seemed very distant.