Mikel Oyarzabal gives Spain edge in World Cup semifinal
Mikel Oyarzabal put Spain in front in the World Cup semifinal against France, while coach Luis de la Fuente stuck with the same starting XI that beat Belgium…
MIAMI — Mikel Oyarzabal gave Spain a crucial lift in the World Cup semifinal against France on Tuesday, with the forward’s goal shaping a tense contest that carried a place in the final as the prize. Spain coach Luis de la Fuente stuck with the same starting lineup he used in the win over Belgium, leaving Pedri on the bench.
The decision mattered. Spain arrived with momentum, but France brought the sort of pace and power that can punish any lapse in a one-off match. One goal changes everything in a semifinal. One mistake can end months of work.
Mikel Oyarzabal stays central to Spain’s plan
Oyarzabal’s role has become more than a finishing touch for Spain. De la Fuente has trusted him in matches where movement, link-up play and calm in the box matter just as much as raw speed. Against France, that trust paid off at a moment when the game needed a sharp, composed final action.
Spain’s coach was not tempted into a major shuffle despite the scale of the occasion. According to the team sheet released before kickoff, Pedri again started on the bench, a sign that De la Fuente wanted continuity from the side that handled Belgium well. That choice told its own story. Spain wanted rhythm, not experimentation.
France, meanwhile, approached the semifinal with the sort of depth that usually makes opponents cautious. Their midfield presses hard, their forwards attack space quickly, and their defenders rarely give much away. That meant Spain had to stay compact, keep possession clean and avoid the kind of loose pass that invites disaster.
Why the lineup call mattered
De la Fuente’s selection was more than a preference. It was a message. Spain’s coach clearly valued the chemistry of the group that had already delivered a strong knockout performance, and he kept faith in players who had earned it on the pitch. In a tournament this compressed, consistency often beats constant tinkering.
For France, the challenge was different. They had to find a way through a Spain side that looked settled and confident early. For Spain, the concern was whether the same structure could withstand a French surge if the match opened up after the first goal. It did not feel like a game that would offer many clean looks. Every run had weight. Every tackle mattered.
The impact stretched well beyond the stadium. A semifinal of this size affects television audiences, sponsors and national expectation, but it also changes the pressure on players who spend weeks carrying their country’s hopes. Oyarzabal’s finish, if it held, would not just send Spain closer to another title shot. It would also strengthen the case for De la Fuente’s selection logic, which has leaned on familiarity and discipline rather than headline-making rotation.
Pedri’s absence from the starting XI added another layer. Spain have long been viewed through the lens of their creative midfield talent, and leaving one of their most gifted passers on the bench was not a small call. Yet that move also showed how carefully De la Fuente was reading the matchup. Against France, control could matter more than flair, at least at the start.
France had their own stakes. A semifinal loss would leave them searching for answers about how to break down a well-drilled opponent in the tournament’s biggest moments. Spain, by contrast, were trying to prove that their recent form was no fluke. Oyarzabal’s goal pushed them closer to that proof, and the rest of the night would decide whether that narrow edge was enough.
By the time the pressure peaked, Spain had already made its biggest statement of the match: trust the system, trust the lineup, and trust Mikel Oyarzabal to deliver when the margin is thin. In a semifinal, that margin can be measured in a single touch.
