Mbappe and Dembele Faded Against Spain
For readers following the tournament through Cricket Exchange, France’s 2–0 defeat to Spain in the 2026 World Cup semifinal was disappointing but not entirely surprising. Spain had already established itself among football’s elite and was a leading title contender, while France was far from unbeatable. Even Hungary’s legendary early-1950s side, celebrated after winning 33 straight matches, eventually lost the 1954 World Cup final. The real surprise was how little Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele contributed. Mbappe, now 27, has long stood alongside Erling Haaland as one of the new era’s defining stars. From 2018–19 onward, he repeatedly finished as a league-leading scorer, first in Paris…
