France aim to silence critics against depleted Spain for spot in Euros final

France, aiming to overcome recent criticism, will face Spain in the Euro 2024 semi-finals in Munich on Tuesday. Despite possessing a talented squad led by Kylian Mbappe, they have faced scrutiny for their lack of scoring prowess throughout the tournament.

Arriving in Germany as one of the favorites, France has reached the semi-finals without scoring a single goal from open play, prompting criticism from both fans and analysts. Despite their strong performances in recent World Cups, winning in 2018 and reaching the final in 2022, their Euro record under coach Didier Deschamps has been less impressive. In his tenure spanning 12 years, their best Euro result was finishing as runners-up in 2016 on home turf.

Their narrow victory over Portugal on penalties last Friday highlighted their struggle, with Mbappe’s performance drawing particular attention as he was substituted after a match where he seemed more occupied with adjusting his mask than influencing play.

Under Deschamps, France has often displayed a mix of defensive solidity and missed opportunities in attack, relying at times on opponents’ inefficiencies, as seen against Portugal where they benefitted from Cristiano Ronaldo’s profligacy in front of goal.