very entertaining game that then lost its rhythm in the second half and became frustratingly stop-start. spain played excellently, france obviously didn’t meet their own standard and, ultimately, the better performance won, as it should do. while i did find this match pretty enjoyable as a neutral, i was hoping for a few more goals on each side to really kick this match into gear! still, there was some outstanding footy on display, a touch of juicy drama, and the absolute shocker of france not even scoring a goal when the keeper was halfway down the pitch……. of all the surprises in this world cup, that might be one of the biggest 🥴 4 stars for the entertainment factor, but a better performance from france might’ve added some of that expected closeness and well-needed tension to the game, plus an additional star to this rating🤪