Men’s World Cup Semifinal Live Blog: France vs. Spain — Second half under way!

46’ — Second half kicks off. Didier Deschamps has made a second change, taking off Adrien Rabiot in midfield for Manu Koné. Might have gotten this one wrong from the start.

Halftime: France 0-1 Spain

• France not in this game so far. The penalty and Saliba injury have really rattled them, while Spain look in their comfort zone, ready to sit back and control the game.
• That was a tough call, but Lucas Digne kicked Lamine Yamal. The ball contacted Yamal’s arm prior to the kick, but apparently too high to be called a handball.
• Far from free-flowing action, this. A succession of fouls and the referee has not been slow to hand out cards. Both teams will need to be careful, but of course the situation favors Spain. Let’s hope the second half brings more entertainment.
• Kylian Mbappé is not getting enough touches close to goal. Michael Olise not involved enough, either. Honestly, it’s looking a little dire for Les Bleus.

38’ — Spain chance! Yamal with a backheel to create a chance in the box, barely cleared away. France need to sort themselves out here, they look shaken.

36’ — Barcola cuts inside and tries one, but whips it over the crossbar.

30’ — Injury substitution for France. William Saliba down with apparent non-contact injury. Maxence Lacroix on in in his stead.

23’ — GOOOOOAL!Spain strike! Mikel Oyarzabal makes no mistake from the spot. France in an early hole.

20’ — Penalty Spain! Lucas Digne receives in the box by heading it to himself, then turning around to whip it. Unfortunately he only catches Lamine Yamal and conceded an early penalty for Spain!

Live Blog

Lineups are out!

France: Maignan; Koundé – Upamecano – Saliba – Digne; Tchouaméni – Rabiot; Dembélé – Olise – Barcola; Mbappé

Spain: Simón; Cucurella – Laporte – Cubarsí – Porro; Rodri – Ruiz; Baena – Olmo – Yamal; Oyarzabal

Interesting change for Les Bleus as the healthy Aurélien Tchouaméni comes in for the energetic and impressive Manu Koné in midfield. Bayern Munich’s Olise continues to man the No. 10, of course, and is one of many danger men up front. Bradley Barcola is in for Désiré Doué.

No changes for Spain.

Welcome to the Bavarian Football Works daily Men’s World Cup match thread! Every day during this tournament we will have a feature thread for discussion of the day’s matchups.

The semifinals round brings us a pair of the most mouth-watering matches imaginable in the field. Today it’s the all-conquering French versus the defending EURO 2024 champions, the team that knocked them out of that tournament:

• France vs. Spain (3:00 PM EDT)

Latest results:

• Norway 1-2 England a.e.t
• Argentina 3-1 Switzerland a.e.t

Predictions

France 2-1 Spain a.e.t.

It’s been a good ride for Spain but the fun ends now. Luis de la Fuente’s side play great ball and they will test France in a cautious battle between two titans. But Didier Deschamps has far too much starpower at his disposal to be denied. This feels like the day Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise scores an absolute worldie in extra time to really announce himself on the world stage — as if his tournament has not been extremely impressive already.

Reading and listening

• ✍️ OutSports: Spain’s only out player in men’s pro soccer is happily married and feels ‘completely free’
• ✍️ The Athletic: How France are playing four proper attackers and not conceding chances at this World Cup
• ✍️ Defector: France Feels Inevitable

Odds and Ends

VAR! Huh? What is it good for.

The commentary…the anguish…

How to Watch

TV/streaming: Fox One (USA), Peacock (USA en Español), Find Your Country

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