Benni McCarthy Explains How Spain Reduced France to Look Like an Ordinary Team: 'That Is the Shock'

Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy has explained how Spain managed to knock France out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup final.

Spain booked their ticket to the final with a dominant 2-0 victory over France in their semi-final clash at Dallas Stadium.

Mikel Oyarzabal opened the scoring with a coolly converted penalty in the 22nd minute after Lamine Yamal was fouled in the box.

Pedro Porro then sealed the win in the second half, finishing off a beautiful one-two combination with Dani Olmo to send La Roja through to the showcase finale.

The former Manchester United attacking coach said he was not surprised by France's defeat, but admitted he was impressed by the manner in which Spain took control of the contest from the outset.

He explained that Spain had clearly identified France's strengths beforehand and devised an effective strategy to counter them, adding that every aspect of their game plan was carried out with remarkable discipline.

According to Benni McCarthy, Spain dictated the tempo throughout the match, denying France the time and space needed to build attacks while preventing them from creating meaningful opportunities in the final third.

He also pointed out that one of Spain's greatest achievements was keeping France's key players quiet, ensuring they had little influence on the outcome despite their individual quality.

McCarthy added that while France deserved criticism for falling below expectations, Spain equally deserved praise for forcing the former world champions into an uncomfortable performance.

He noted that Spain's relentless pressing, intensity, and willingness to compete for every ball disrupted France's rhythm and ultimately allowed the European champions to dominate the semifinal.

“No, no shock. I think it's more of a shock the way Spain pinned France down. That is a shock. Spain did their homework, and I think they completely executed their plan to perfection because they not only nullified France to limited ball possession but limited shots at goals, limited dangerous plays and the biggest factor is they limited France's best players from being effective in the game,” Benni McCarthy told Sporty TV.

“Spain did the job exceptionally well, you know, so as much as we can say, yes, France didn't turn up, we have to give credit to Spain because Spain made them play like that with the way they press, the way they were aggressive, the way they were first to everything.”

Benni McCarthy went on to praise Spain's hunger and work rate, saying they consistently won the physical and tactical battles across the pitch.

The Harambee Stars coach noted that the Spanish players reacted quicker to loose balls, dominated second-ball situations, and showed greater determination throughout the match, which gave them control for long periods.

He added that Spain's success was built on a disciplined and uncomplicated approach, explaining that they stuck to their game plan, executed the fundamentals exceptionally well, and rarely made mistakes.

According to Benni McCarthy, such consistency significantly increases a team's chances of winning at the highest level.

Benni McCarthy further observed that France appeared short of answers as the game progressed, with Spain's intensity and organisation making one of the tournament's favourites look ordinary.

“They were first to the first ball and then every second ball, those Spanish players contested, and they always won the battle against France,” Benni McCarthy added.

“And when you show that kind of desire, that kind of ability, and when your tactics and the way you play are simple, and you keep it simple and you do it right, you're almost 99.999% guaranteed that you're going to win the game because you do the right things well.

“France looked like they didn't know what to do. Spain made them look like a normal team. They didn't look like the team that everybody said was probably everybody's favourite team, just by the way they went about their business from the first game up until now.”