How Luis de la Fuente’s plan with Rodri and Ruiz stopped France

How Luis de la Fuente used Rodri and Fabian Ruiz to shape Spain’s midfield, shutting out France and securing a place in the World Cup final on Tuesday in Arlington, Texas. The Spanish side, ranked second, faced third‑ranked France in a semifinal that pitted the last two reigning Ballon d'Or winners against each other. The first half featured a classic showdown of playmakers, with one of those Ballon d'Or winners, Kylian Mbappé, leading a French attack that struggled to find rhythm. Early on, Adrien Rabiot received a yellow card, and William Saliba left the field in the 30th minute, leaving Les Bleus without a key defender. Spain’s setup leaned on the experience of Champions League finals, recalling the 2022‑23 and 2024‑25 campaigns where Rodri and Ruiz excelled for their clubs. Rodri, a former Inter Milan and PSG stalwart, and Ruiz, who covered 6.4 miles in PSG’s 5‑0 win over Inter Milan, brought that pedigree to the Texas pitch.

Luis de la Fuente narrows Spain’s final foe to England or Argentina

In the second half, Ruiz logged 77 minutes, winning five of seven duels, creating two chances and making seven recoveries. Rodri completed the full 90 minutes, dominating 11 of 16 duels, delivering six perfect long balls and nine recoveries, turning France’s midfield into a hit‑and‑hope machine. Wide contributions from Pedro Porro and Marc Cucurella complemented the central dominance, while Yamal, Dani Olmo, Alex Baena and Mikel Oyarzabal found space thanks to the midfield masters. Their movement unsettled the French side further after Rabiot’s exit at halftime.

Break-in on Lamine Yamal after Spain (Spanje) clinches World Cup (World Cup) final

The match ended with Spain advancing to the World Cup final, where they will meet either England or Argentina on Sunday after a day’s rest. The victory confirmed the effectiveness of de la Fuente’s tactical adjustments and the depth of Spain’s midfield options. Post‑match, Didier Deschamps admitted he may have missed a note by not deploying N'Golo Kante or Warren Zaire‑Emery, who together saw only 19 minutes from WZE. Cherki, Kouadio Kone and Aurelien Tchouameni also struggled to influence the game, underscoring Spain’s control throughout the semifinal.