Spain was in control, France's defence and midfield unbelievably average: Brahmanand Sankhwalkar

New Delhi: Spain was simply too good for France, who paid the price for their "unbelievably average" defence and midfield, said former India captain and goalkeeper S Brahmanand, while also insisting that the penalty proved to the turning point of the World cup semifinal.

Spain notched up a 2-0 win over France on Tuesday to enter the World Cup finals with Mikel Oyarzabal scoring from the penalty spot in the 22nd minute after a foul and Pedro Porro adding another goal in the 58th minute.

"France looked good before conceding the goal but they had no plan after going behind. France had an unbelievable forward line, but their defence and midfield were unbelievably average," Brahmanand told PTI.


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"France was completely off the target. Watching Spain in the past few World Cup matches, of course, they played with different teams, but this was supposed to be their strongest lineup.

"Spain, unexpectedly, I mean, to many Spanish followers, even their own team, they rose above multiple times in their own performance and dominating totally, extraordinarily against France."

Brahmanand said Spain just didn't not allow Kylian Mbappe or Ousmane Dembele the freedom to influence the match.

"Spain was completely in control. Yes, that is one of the reasons Mbappe was moving around to find space elsewhere. He was choked up by the Spanish defender. They did their job very well. He was unable to get free space to move.

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"Mbappe was trying to find other places around himself in the box. But he couldn't succeed. I didn't find much from Dembele either. But it was not enough to break through the Spanish midfield and the defensive line," he explained.

Spain took a 1-0 lead via Oyarzabal's penalty kick which came after Lamine Yamal drew a foul when kicked by French defender Lucas Digne.

Brahmanand, however, questioned the referee's decision, saying the spot kick shouldn't have been awarded.

"Until that time, the penalty took place, everything was a different scenario. France also tried to dominate initially, they attempted to pressure and control the game. That penalty changed the whole scenario," the 72-year-old from Goa said.

"The defender (Digne) never intentionally tried to hit Yamal. He tried to clear the ball. His eyes were still on the ball. Yamal came in between. The kick struck Yamal. That was not a penalty. This could have been avoided. Not even a yellow.

"It was definitely a challenge for the ball. That was the turning point of the match. If that penalty hadn't been given, France would have put up a good fight against Spain."

Under IFAB Law 12, however, intent is not the deciding factor in determining a foul. A foul can occur if a player "kicks or attempts to kick", "trips or attempts to trip", or "tackles or challenges" an opponent in a manner deemed careless, reckless, or using excessive force.

Brahmanand also lavished praise on Yamal for his outstanding performance but said the youngster was lucky to avoid punishment twice.

"Yamal's performance was outstanding. Except two things. I don't know why the referee seemed biased toward the Spanish side. Two times he has, in fact, gone for two challenges. He stamped on a French defender twice.

"If the referee had been alert enough to do his job properly for others, why not for Yamal? He just ignored it. You know he just smiled it up. He just moved away with the play of the match," he wondered.

Talking about the impact Yamal had on the match and in the tournament, the former India goalkeeper said: "Of course he is a star. Definitely a star is born. He was outstanding in the last match for Spain. Not only does he possess the ball, he creates chances. He is a creator of chances for others to score and for himself also.

"Even in that third goal which was disallowed as offside, it was a slightest one. He was in the slightest offside position. You know how he darted in the French defence. Cut the pass under the 1 or 2. And then he left. He scored a goal. They pulled up an offside. But it was a great move from Yamal," he noted.

The second semifinal between Argentina and England will decide who will Spain face in the summit clash.

Brahmanand feels England hold the edge.

"England, I have found that they are a balanced side. Bellingham and Harry Kane in the forward line. Even in the tightest angles, they are in a position to score a goal. They will be able to get the better of Argentina.

"It may not be that easy for Argentina. I think it will be a Spain-England final," he signed off.