France and Spain meet in rare World Cup semi-final on Bastille Day
France and Spain meet in rare World Cup semi-final on Bastille Day
Didier Deschamps leads France into Tuesday's semi-final against Spain for a place in the World Cup final, days after attending his mother's funeral.
- Didier Deschamps' mother Ginette died on 23 June; he returned to France for her funeral, missing France's 4-1 win over Norway.
- France and Spain play in the World Cup semi-final on Tuesday, 14 July, with the winner facing England or Argentina.
- The only previous World Cup meeting between the teams was a 3-1 French victory in the 2006 round of 16.
- French journalist Abdoul-Karim said some cities postponed Bastille Day fireworks until after the semi-final.
What happened since
French press reacts to World Cup semi-final loss to Spain
France was defeated by Spain in a World Cup semi-final played in Texas on 14 July, prompting widespread coverage in French media the next day.
- The semi-final match took place on Bastille Day in Texas, ending in France's elimination.
- On 15 July, French newspapers including L'Équipe and Le Monde published front-page stories about the defeat.
- Large crowds gathered in Marseille's Old Port to watch the match on large screens.
Coverage
Read the original reportingThis brief was compiled from 3 outlets, 1 reporting in Arabic and 2 in English, over 4 hours of coverage. Each is listed below with the headline it led on, so you can compare them yourself.
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Every story is brought together from multiple sources into a single, clear summary — with every perspective kept, not flattened.