The World Cup is about to end this week as the tournament reaches the semi-final stage this midweek. The first semi-final took place on Tuesday between two heavyweights- Spain and France. The French team was one of the favourites for the trophy, but Spain managed to nullify their attacking threat to secure a 2-0 victory. Commiserations to Bayern Munich duo Dayot Upamecano and Michael Olise as they started for France in this game.
Olise had lit up the World Cup, continuing his good run of form from last season. The Frenchman grabbed five assists in the tournament, complementing the likes of Desire Doue, Kylian Mbappe, and Ousmane Dembele brilliantly in the final third.
However, the Bayern forward had a quiet evening against Spain. Olise created only two chances and had only one touch in the opposition box. The French forward generated an expected assist of just 0.07. Spain managed to keep him quiet for most of the game. He was eventually substituted in the 72nd minute to make way for Rayan Cherki.
It was a rare off day for Olise. Unfortunately for him, it came at the biggest stage for France. The French forward will now get much-needed rest after a long season and a deep World Cup campaign. There will be speculation about his future, as Real Madrid have been heavily linked with him, but Bayern have no plans to part ways with him.
Dayot Upamecano didn’t dominate Spanish attack
France had the worst possible first half hour of the game as they conceded a cheap penalty and lost William Saliba to a back injury. To add further misery to France’s defense, Dayot Upamecano also had an off day. The Bayern defender struggled to impose himself on the Spanish attack.
Upamecano had a tremendous tournament, forming a solid partnership with Saliba. However, Spain managed to penetrate the French defense consistently on Tuesday. Upamecano failed to win the ball against Dani Olmo in the second half during the move that led to Pedro Porro’s goal.
The Bavarian faithful will not be concerned by performances of Upamecano and Olise, as the entire French team struggled against Spain. The Spaniards executed the game plan better than the French and deservedly won the game. Upamecano and Olise have been brilliant for club and country over the last 12 months. They will recover from this setback and come back stronger.
France still has one game to play in the World Cup, as they will face the losing team from the second semifinal for the third-place finish in the tournament later this week.
Stats courtesy- Fotmob
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