World Cup 2026: France v Spain semi-final buildup; Rice set to start for England against Argentina – live
54s ago 08.36 BST Krishna Moorthy has written in. I knew it wouldn’t be too long before he did. “Good morning Daniel. Three Ballon d’Or
54s ago 08.36 BST Krishna Moorthy has written in. I knew it wouldn’t be too long before he did. “Good morning Daniel. Three Ballon d’Or winners of the last three years are involved in the semifinals. With a delectable one on one clash tonight. Both teams tonight also have in them a runners up. Clash of the titans indeed” Share 3m ago 08.34 BST We’ve been promised attack versus defence before, but France v Spain really fits the bill. According to Opta, France arrive in Dallas with the most productive attack at the World Cup.
Spain bring the stingiest defence recorded at the tournament in the modern statistical era. Something, as they say in the disaster films, has to give. Here are the numbers: France have scored 16 goals and generated a tournament-high 14.3 xG. Their 47 shots on target work out at 7.8 per game, the highest World Cup average on record since 1966. Kylian Mbappé has eight goals, while Ousmane Dembélé has five. Michael Olise leads the tournament with five assists. Spain, meanwhile, have faced just seven shots on target in six matches.
Their average of 1.17 per game is the lowest recorded at a men’s World Cup. They have conceded only 0.31 xG per match, while the average chance against them has been worth a paltry 0.05 xG. Spain have also averaged 66% possession and 598 completed passes per game. Is it a cliche if i use the phrase, unstoppable force meets immovable object? Share 10m ago 08.26 BST We’ve got our first email of the morning. It’s from Tim Read, about 1,426 miles away.
“Good morning! Whilst I understand that everybody has their eyes focused on France - Spain, I also have the privilege of being invited as a media guest to the Riga FC - Ararat Champion’s League qualifying game. Of course, I will be in the nearest bar immediately afterwards....” Have fun mate! Share
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