Didier Deschamps made a daring choice by benching Atletico Madrid star Antoine Griezmann for France’s crucial semi-final against Spain on Tuesday evening, opting instead to start Randal Kolo Muani in an attempt to revitalize the attack. This decision initially appeared successful, as Kolo Muani scored just nine minutes in to give Les Bleus the lead.
However, their happiness was short-lived. Yamal seized the opportunity, curling a powerful shot from outside the box after Adrien Rabiot gave him enough space to shoot. Just four minutes later, Dani Olmo netted the decisive goal for Spain, securing their spot in the final. Although Griezmann was eventually brought on, he failed to spark a comeback, leaving French hopes dashed.
After the match, a frustrated Griezmann admitted that Spain outplayed them in every aspect. He expressed his disappointment over the space given to Yamal and, in an interview with Telefoot, remarked: “They were better than us. We knew they could hit the ball well from distance and we let them shoot from distance. We knew Lamine is left-footed and we let him hit it with his left foot. The equaliser hurt us and the second goal four minutes later killed us. That’s football, we lacked that today. It was our strong point from the start but we lost against a strong Spain. No excuses about having legs cut off or anything, they played extra time too. They were better in everything.”
Despite being considered one of the favorites before the tournament, France struggled, particularly in attack. They hadn’t scored from open play until Kolo Muani’s goal and looked uninspired in their attempt to rally against a well-coached Spanish team under Luis de La Fuente. Spain will face the winner of the England-Netherlands semi-final in the championship match on Sunday in Berlin.