In a previous article, after France and Spain qualified for the semi-finals titled 'Who is the final for... France the best, Spain the most dangerous,' all observers agreed that France was favored not only to reach the final but to win the cup. But what happened on 'Wednesday night fever'? What happened was that the shrewd coach De la Fuente devised a plan to overthrow France and succeeded with a team that represents a system, with no very big star except Lamine Yamal. They dominated the match, deserved the victory, and crushed the hopes of Mbappé and his teammates, confirming that the system is more important and effective than individuals.

The French team, packed with big stars like Mbappé, Barcola, Olise, Dembélé, and Tchouaméni—who did not perform like his teammates—and Saliba, who left injured, creating a gap in the French defense, among others. They were undone by the plan and tactics of the fox De la Fuente, who excels at designing the right plan for each match and makes reaching his team's goal extremely difficult. His net has only been shaken once so far in a tough and exhausting World Cup. He also possesses strategic patience; victory comes either late, as against Portugal and Belgium, or early, as against France. This led the Matador coach to say, 'I have the best team in the world,' after eliminating France, a tough team that disappeared in the crucial moments. Its midfield let it down, and its defense contributed to Spain's two goals: a penalty from Yamal and a goal by Pedro preceded by a stunning artistic sequence and then a brilliant tactical execution by a player who knows what he is doing and what he wants.

France's loss in the tournament is very similar to Brazil's loss in the 1982 World Cup, when the Seleção was the best and most entertaining, indeed among the greatest in the history of football, led by Tele Santana and historical stars like Zico, Oscar, Socrates, Falcão, Júnior, and others. But they lost to Italy 2-3 in a realistic manner, led by Rossi returning from suspension, who scored a historic hat-trick that is unlikely to be repeated, and against whom? Against Brazil, the best in the world. They amazed football fans around the globe, and many technicians considered them the best in history in terms of performance and enjoyment, not results.

What happened to France on Tuesday evening is similar to what happened to Brazil 44 years ago, specifically in 1982. At that time, the world realized that victory does not always go to the best. What happened to France and Brazil can happen to the best, as two examples of favorites who became spectators in World Cups where they were the best.