France displayed military power during the parade on the Champs-Élysées on the occasion of the July 14th celebration. Just hours later, in Dallas, “the fire front” (as the press has dubbed it) was neutralized, without gunpowder, by “the Spanish Armada” (cover of Le Parisien), plunging the country, so prone to exaggerated self-esteem, into a new phase of collective depression.
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“The Spanish are born with this talent,” admitted, resigned, the analyst who on Wednesday morning was commenting on the match on the France Info radio station. The expert praised De la Fuente’s team’s technique, their extraordinary defense and midfield, their control of the game at all times.
The fans were paralyzed, perplexed and silent, especially because there was an ambient optimism before the match, given the performances offered by the Bleus in previous games. In the traditional bet of the panelists on the M6 channel, which broadcasts the World Cup openly, before the starting whistle, one of them predicted a 2-0 for France. The presenter corrected him: 3-0. After the defeat, the faces in the studio were a poem. The lament was unanimous for a France that was too shy, timid, unrecognizable.
Even the young kiosk vendor, usually cheerful, was not in the mood for jokes today. “I imagine you saw the match?” we asked her. “Yes,” she answered curtly. “A deserved victory for Spain, right?” Silence. Bonne journée.
L’Équipe did not sugarcoat on its front page. “Shooting star,” it titled, with a background of Mbappé looking at the sky and Koné further back. The start of the first chronicle hammered the point: “This adventure deserved something other than this shipwreck of play, strategy, and emotions.” “Fireworks canceled,” summarized Le Parisien, referring to yesterday’s day, Bastille Day, the French national holiday. “Cruel disappointment,” added the newspaper.
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What surprised the most was the lack of combativeness of the French team, of ambition, of bite, to overcome Spain’s festival. Even one of the players, Cherki, bitterly complained about it when interviewed in the locker room. With surprising sincerity, he was scandalized by an incomprehensible performance in a World Cup semifinal match, an occasion that only sometimes, with luck, happens once in a lifetime for a footballer.
Le Figaro, which normally closes its print edition much earlier, waited this time until the match ended, hoping for victory. “The Spaniards, masters of the game, end the Bleus’ dream,” it stated. For the conservative newspaper, the rivals were “solid and well organized,” while Mbappé’s team was often “feverish and uninspired.” “We thought we were going to win and we were nonexistent,” was the phrase from a fan chosen by Le Monde for its digital front page. “National defeat,” wrote, bluntly, La Provence from Marseille, the same expression as Sud Ouest and La Dépêche. “Merciless Dallas,” exclaimed L’independant from Perpignan. “The Spanish shower,” preferred La République des Pyrénées. “Sad enough to cry,” admitted Midi Libre
The President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, who was already dreaming of flying to New Jersey to cheer the team in the final, tried to see the glass half full and sportingly congratulated Spain… despite the diplomatic incident caused by Mariano Rajoy’s racist clumsiness. “Bravo to Spain for this qualification – wrote the head of state on his X account -. Thanks to the Bleus for carrying our colors with commitment. Tonight’s defeat is difficult, but this team is young and full of future.”
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