World Cup
'Tonight's defeat is hard to take': Emmanuel Macron reacts after France crash out of World Cup, congratulates Spain
Arlington/IBNS: French President Emmanuel Macron congratulated Spain on reaching the FIFA World Cup 2026 final while expressing solidarity with the French national team after their semifinal exit.
In a post on X, Macron wrote: "Bravo to Spain for this qualification. Thank you to the Bleus for carrying our colors with commitment. Tonight's defeat is hard to take, but this team is young and full of promise."
France's World Cup campaign came to an end after a 2-0 defeat to Spain in the semifinal, with La Roja advancing to the final.
Macron's message praised Spain's achievement while commending Les Bleus for their fighting spirit and expressing confidence in the team's future.
Bravo à l’Espagne pour cette qualification. Merci aux Bleus d’avoir porté nos couleurs avec engagement. La défaite de ce soir est difficile, mais cette équipe est jeune et pleine d’avenir.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) July 14, 2026
Spain take control with clinical first-half display
France entered the match as slight favourites, but Spain quickly settled into their rhythm and controlled large spells of the contest through disciplined defending and efficient attacking play.
Lamine Yamal, who celebrated his 19th birthday a day earlier, created Spain's first major opportunity after stealing the ball ahead of Lucas Digne before being brought down inside the penalty area.
Oyarzabal calmly converted the resulting penalty in the 22nd minute, sending goalkeeper Mike Maignan the wrong way to give Spain the lead.
Spain doubled their advantage in the 58th minute through Pedro Porro.
The defender exchanged passes with Dani Olmo before finishing confidently into the bottom corner to put Luis de la Fuente's side firmly in command.
France unable to break through Spanish defence
France attempted to mount a comeback after Didier Deschamps introduced Desire Doue and Rayan Cherki, but Spain's defence remained organised throughout the second half.
Goalkeeper Unai Simón performed effectively as a sweeper-keeper whenever France threatened, while Marc Cucurella produced a crucial challenge to deny Kylian Mbappé a clear opportunity.
Spain restricted Les Bleus to limited clear-cut chances before seeing out the match to seal a deserved victory and progress to the final.
The result means France will now compete in the third-place play-off on July 18 local time (July 19 in India).
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