Was it criminal? This was the play that put Spain ahead against France in the 2026 World Cup semifinal

Home Sport Was it criminal? This was the play that put Spain ahead against France in the 2026 World Cup semifinal
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July 14, 2026July 14, 2026By Mario Vásquez
Was it criminal? This was the play that put Spain ahead against France in the 2026 World Cup semifinal

Spain takes a 0-1 lead thanks to a penalty committed by Lucas Digne on Lamine Yamal, which Mikel Oyarzabal converted into a goal in the 20th minute.

The La Roja striker took the maximum penalty with a shot that hit the French goalkeeper’s left post. Mike Maignan, who couldn’t prevent the score. With this goal, Oyarzabal reached five goals in the current World Cup and remains one of the main figures of the Spanish team.

The play that caused the penalty generated controversy. Lucas Digne, France’s left back, controlled the ball with his head and was preparing to clear it; However, Lamine Yamal anticipated, protected the ball with his body and received a kick from the French defender.

The Salvadoran referee Iván Bartón pointed out the foul inside the area and awarded the penalty. Furthermore, he maintained his decision without going to the VAR review, despite the claims of the French captain, Kylian Mbappé, who requested to review the play considering that there was not enough contact with the Spanish attacker.

Replays showed that Lamine Yamal gained position before Digne and was hit by the defender’s leg.

As expected, the play went viral on social networks. While some fans consider that the sanction was correct, others maintain that the contact was insufficient to signal the penalty, so the debate continues about one of the most talked about actions of the match.

Furthermore, this partial result represents a significant fact in the tournament, as it is the first time in the World Cup that France is at a disadvantage on the scoreboard.

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