Spain are going to take some stopping! Winners and losers as La Roja lay down a marker ahead of World Cup final while France's fabled forwards exit with a whimper

France's potent attack dominated the headlines in the build-up to kick-off in Dallas, but everyone seemed to forget that the finest defensive midfielder on the planet would probably have a say in the outcome. Rodri was magnificent in this semi-final, dictating the tempo as well as breaking up potential attacks time and time again.

The Manchester City star was everywhere, having 82 touches of the ball and winning 11 of his 15 duels on the ground and in the air. He was a huge part of the reason that France never got going in an attacking sense, delivering a timely reminder of what he is capable of following his injury troubles since he claimed the 2024 Ballon d'Or.

So much was said and written about France's frontline in the lead-up to this blockbuster showdown, with Mbappe, Olise and, to a lesser extent, Dembele in scintillating form, with few giving Spain much chance of keeping them all at bay. However, Les Bleus' biggest names no-showed when it mattered most.

Quite remarkably, Mbappe was peripheral and cut a frustrated figure as he fed off scraps up top, while anonymous left-winger Bradley Barcola was hooked early in the second period. Dembele was similarly ineffective on the right and looked a shadow of the player who claimed the Ballon d'Or in 2025. Behind them, even Olise could not find any space to influence proceedings, to the extent that he was taken off with 20 minutes still to play.

Arguably the most potent attack on the planet, this was a monumental failure on the biggest stage.

France still have the dreaded third-place play-off to contest, but for all intents and purposes this was a feeble end to Didier Deschamps' tenure. Despite coming into the semi-final as favourites to win the entire tournament, his side were outclassed and outmanoeuvred across the pitch.

The manager will be relieved that his job wasn't on the line in this scenario, because the inquest into why France failed to show up so spectacularly with a place in a third consecutive World Cup final on the line will be comprehensive and brutal. This was a nightmarish end to what was otherwise a glittering era under the legendary former midfielder. It is most likely Zinedine Zidane who will have to pick up the pieces.

What a tournament it's turned into for Porro, who has looked nothing like the player who had a brush with relegation during the club season with Tottenham, emerging as one of Spain's key defensive figures in North America as their starting right-back ahead of Atletico Madrid's Marcos Llorente and Dani Carvajal, who was left out of the squad.

We've always known he has a decent strike on him, and Porro finished like a seasoned centre-forward after bursting into the penalty area following a neat one-two with Olmo on the edge of the box. This was both his second goal for his country and his second goal of a very productive World Cup.

Arsenal centre-back William Saliba had been struggling with a back niggle in the build-up to this semi-final, often sitting out training as he followed a modified programme in a bid to manage the pain. However, France's attempts to mitigate the injury would prove fruitless.

Saliba lasted just half an hour of what was the biggest match of his career to date, having been left on the bench throughout the 2022 World Cup final against Argentina. The 25-year-old dropped to the floor unchallenged and had to be replaced by Crystal Palace's Maxence Lacroix. Arsenal and Mikel Arteta will hope the injury is nothing serious.

Digne vs Yamal always looked like a mismatch on paper, given the French left-back isn't necessarily the most mobile at 32 years of age and he was coming up against one of the most tricky and pacey wingers on the entire planet. Inevitably, he was given a rough ride.

However, the Aston Villa defender was caught out in a way few would have predicted when he showed absolutely no awareness in his own box after controlling Marc Cucurella's cross and put his foot through Yamal instead of the ball, conceding the first-half penalty that was duly converted by Oyarzabal.

England have their own semi-final to focus on, albeit they may well prefer to face Spain if they are able to reach a first World Cup final in 60 years when they take on Argentina on Wednesday. But one interesting subplot of Tuesday's tie is that Harry Kane now likely has fewer obstacles in his way to becoming the first Englishman to win the Ballon d'Or since Michael Owen a quarter of a century ago.

With his Bayern Munich team-mate Olise, Champions League winner Dembele and prolific Real Madrid star Mbappe all sent packing, Kane is probably in a straight shootout with the great Lionel Messi for football's highest individual honour after his ridiculous goal-scoring exploits in Germany. Victory in Atlanta on Wednesday might just seal the deal.

You would have expected the Dallas Stadium to be absolutely rocking for a blockbuster semi-final between two of the highest-ranked and finest footballing teams at the tournament, but if we are being brutally honest, the atmosphere for this monumental clash was more befitting of a meaningless international friendly.

This was arguably one of the few occasions throughout the tournament that we have really seen the consequences of the extortionate ticket prices and the fact European sides are doing battle thousands of miles from home. You could hear the faint murmur of those fans who had made the long journey to Texas every now and then, but for long periods this huge match was played in deafening silence. It even looked like there were some empty seats, albeit FIFA will probably claim they were filled.