France had been the slight favourites to progress entering into Tuesday’s semi-final having won six from six, blowing all opposition away with an exciting and attacking brand of football spearheaded by captain and talisman Kylian Mbappe.
But Les Bleus appeared to freeze against the European champions, falling desperately short of expectations and offering very little in the final third as goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro proved decisive.
It marks the end of an era for the French side, with World Cup-winning manager Didier Deschamps leaving his post after 14 years in the hot seat.
Exclusive build-up to England v Argentina
Make sense of the drama with Metro’s free daily newsletter. Sign up now.
Analysing Spain’s semi-final win on FOX Sports, Ibrahimovic applauded Luis de la Fuente’s men for their tireless work-rate and ‘commitment’ throughout the encounter.
‘They took the commitment from the first minute until the last minute,’ the former Sweden, AC Milan, PSG and Manchester United striker said.
Tottenham defender Porro doubled Spain’s lead to put the tie to bed (Picture: Getty)
Rodri produced a true captain’s performance in Dallas (Picture: Getty)
‘They were feeling alive, they were active, they wanted it, they ran those extra metres, they went into every duel, they wanted to win it.
‘When they were attacking they were convincing, they took the initiative.
‘You could see every pass they did it was like, “We want this”, and it was the opposite from France.’
Up Next
Previous Page
Next Page
Ibrahimovic was especially impressed by Rodri’s performance, suggesting the Manchester City star ‘doesn’t get a lot of credit’ for the work he gets through in the middle of the park.
‘I have to mention that Rodri was all over the place,’ he added.
‘What a game, what a player and he’s player that doesn’t get a lot of credit. But in this game he was everywhere, he was just magnificent.
‘Football won today, this was a good game. Yes, France, I believe they can do more, they should have done more, but these two teams deserve to be here.
‘Either of them should have been in the final and Spain is in the final.’
Oyarzabalput the European champions in front from the spot (Picture: Getty)
Ibrahimovic’s FOX Sports colleague Thierry Henry was left visibly dejected by France’s lacklustre display on the big stage.
However, the legendary ex-France and Arsenal forward made sure to thank Deschamps for his service before congratulating Spain’s heroes.
‘First and foremost, I want to say thank you to the team and Didier Deschamps for what they have done for our game, for the national team,’ Henry chimed in.
Up Next
Previous Page
Next Page
‘In these types of games you have levels. This is a team [Spain], this is a country… those Spanish fans and the team find a way to be successful at every level: women’s football, youth football, Olympics, I lost a final against them!
‘Time and time and time again they are coming. They have an identity, a philosophy, they all play the same way.’
De la Fuente’s men will face off against either England or Argentina in this year’s final (Picture: Getty)
According to Henry, Spain have managed to land on a winning formula by implementing the same ‘system’ at ‘every level’.
‘He [De La Fuente] knows the system, all the players know what the system is,’ Henry went on.
‘This is a team with stars in it but first and foremost, it is a team effort.
‘France were not in it, we were not in the game but maybe it’s because when the Spanish team gets the ball they don’t give you the ball back. You have to go and get it, you need to press a tiny bit better.
‘We couldn’t get the ball off them. The second shot on target was at the endfrom [Ousmane] Dembele.
‘That’s why I said that at every level you have levels. Spain, congratulations, you deserve to go to the final.
‘You are European champions but I also want to give credit to the whole system and what they put in place because Spain never used to win like that. Now they win at every level.’
