Zlatan Ibrahimovic reserved special praise for Rodri after Spain swept past France to reach the World Cup final, claiming the 'magnificent' midfielder was 'everywhere' in Dallas. France had been slight favourites to progress after winning six from six, but they froze against the European champions, offering little in the final third as goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro proved decisive.
Ibrahimovic's Verdict on Spain's Performance
Analysing the semi-final on FOX Sports, Ibrahimovic applauded Luis de la Fuente's men for their tireless work-rate and 'commitment' throughout the encounter. 'They took the commitment from the first minute until the last minute,' the former Sweden striker said. 'They were feeling alive, they were active, they wanted it, they ran those extra metres, they went into every duel, they wanted to win it. When they were attacking they were convincing, they took the initiative. You could see every pass they did it was like, “We want this”, and it was the opposite from France.'
Rodri's 'Magnificent' Display
Ibrahimovic was especially impressed by Rodri, suggesting the Manchester City star 'doesn't get a lot of credit' for his work in midfield. 'I have to mention that Rodri was all over the place,' he added. 'What a game, what a player and he’s a player that doesn’t get a lot of credit. But in this game he was everywhere, he was just magnificent. Football won today, this was a good game. Yes, France, I believe they can do more, they should have done more, but these two teams deserve to be here. Either of them should have been in the final and Spain is in the final.'
Henry Reflects on France's Exit
Ibrahimovic's FOX Sports colleague Thierry Henry was visibly dejected by France's lacklustre display but thanked Didier Deschamps for his service and congratulated Spain. 'First and foremost, I want to say thank you to the team and Didier Deschamps for what they have done for our game, for the national team,' the former France forward said. 'In these types of games you have levels. This is a team [Spain], this is a country… those Spanish fans and the team find a way to be successful at every level: women’s football, youth football, Olympics, I lost a final against them! Time and time and time again they are coming. They have an identity, a philosophy, they all play the same way.'
Spain's Winning System
According to Henry, Spain have landed on a winning formula by implementing the same 'system' at 'every level'. 'He [De La Fuente] knows the system, all the players know what the system is,' Henry went on. 'This is a team with stars in it but first and foremost, it is a team effort. France were not in it, we were not in the game but maybe it’s because when the Spanish team gets the ball they don’t give you the ball back. You have to go and get it, you need to press a tiny bit better. We couldn’t get the ball off them. The second shot on target was at the end from [Ousmane] Dembele. That’s why I said that at every level you have levels. Spain, congratulations, you deserve to go to the final. You are European champions but I also want to give credit to the whole system and what they put in place because Spain never used to win like that. Now they win at every level.'
Spain advance to the final, where they will face the winner of England vs Argentina. France's exit marks the end of an era, with manager Didier Deschamps leaving after 14 years.
