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'Mbappe cries, Yamal laughs': Fans react after Spain eliminate France from World Cup 2026
Spain knocked out defending contenders France with a composed 2-0 victory in the World Cup semifinal on Tuesday.
Spain delivered a commanding performance to knock France out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Spain's young stars, led by teenage sensation Lamine Yamal, outplayed and outmaneuvered Kylian Mbappé and France.
The internet quickly turned the result into a meme fest.
One user wrote, "Mbappé cries, Yamal laughs."
Another added, "Yamal the kiddo won."
Spain eliminate France
Spain knocked out defending contenders France with a composed 2-0 victory in the World Cup semifinal on Tuesday.
Mikel Oyarzabal opened the scoring with a 22nd-minute penalty, and Pedro Porro doubled the lead in the 58th minute.
France struggled to create clear chances despite the presence of Kylian Mbappé, who was largely contained by Spain’s defense.
Spain advanced to the final and will face the winner of the other semifinal between England and Argentina.
'A huge disappointment'
Reacting to France’s heartbreaking defeat, Kylian Mbappé admitted the loss was difficult to accept,
"We kept finding ourselves outnumbered 3-on-2 in midfield. And against Spain, that's a real problem...When you put it all together, the result is a defeat. It's a huge disappointment," he said.
"I don't think we played the match we wanted to play -- whether tactically, technically, or in terms of our overall performance level," Mbappé added.
"And when you don't do what you're supposed to do in a World Cup semi-final, you don't win."
A win on Tuesday would have made Mbappé only the second player after Brazil’s Cafu to reach three World Cup finals.
Instead, the Real Madrid forward and France will now play in the third-place playoff at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday.
Despite the disappointment, Mbappé said France’s talented squad can bounce back ahead of the 2028 European Championship.
"It was a dream for us to reach the final, to give our country the chance to keep dreaming and to make history," he said.
"Now, it is something we have to face with our heads held high. I believe that when you win, you win with your head held high; so when you lose, you have to lose with your head held high, too.
"But right now, there is immense disappointment. I find it hard to put into words just how disappointed the squad and I are.
“Yet even if it might seem a bit robotic at times, we have to pick ourselves up, go on vacation, and move on to the next chapter. Because football waits for no one. We have to start over, put this failure behind us, and learn from it.”
