Paris deflated as France fall to Spain, World Cup semi-final joy turns to silence | OneFootball

France's World Cup semi-final defeat left Paris subdued on Tuesday night as celebrations ended. According to L'Équipe, terraces filled hours before kick-off emptied within minutes of the final whistle.

The capital spent the day in party mode, blue shirts out and terraces crowded from 18:00. Chants rose with every attack, confidence in Les Bleus seemed universal.

At 20 minutes, in the 11th arrondissement’s Café Divan, the packed terrace fell silent as M.Barton awarded a penalty after Lucas Digne’s contact on Lamine Yamal. A dejected Ulysse accepted it looked a clear decision.

By half-time, doubt had crept in. Nolan, 28, feared France had underestimated Spain and overestimated their own attack, while others still clung to predictions of a late surge.

Songs still echoed along rue de la Roquette after the restart, but Spain’s second on 58 minutes made it 0-2 and the voices faded again. The realisation spread that the run might end here.

Supporters kept urging every forward move, especially when Kylian Mbappé drove at the Spanish box. Léa recalled Mbappé doing it in 2022 against Argentina and felt a comeback still might be possible.

There was no miracle. Disgust, anger, sadness and confusion mixed in, and Marc, Hugo and Pauline railed at what they saw as a professional failure, saying they had never imagined any scenario in which France lost and that the team showed nothing despite having, in their view, the best players in the world. Many rose to leave at the whistle, and Paris fell quiet.

Source: L'Équipe