Lamine Yamal a knockout nemesis for Kylian Mbappé ahead of France v Spain semi-final | OneFootball

Kylian Mbappé heads into Tuesday 14 July’s World Cup semi-final against Spain in Dallas, 21:00, trying to end an unwanted run against Lamine Yamal. According to L'Équipe, across five single-leg knockout meetings for club and country, he has lost every time.

The tie lands on France’s national day, one day after Yamal turns 19. Mbappé is 27.

Against La Roja, Mbappé has two semi-final defeats. France lost 1-2 at Euro 2024, then 4-5 in the Nations League last year.

At club level with Real Madrid, he has been beaten by Barcelona led by the young prodigy Lamine Yamal in three finals, the 2025 Copa del Rey 2-3 after extra time, and the last two Spanish Super Cups, 2-5 in 2025 and 2-3 in 2026.

The only time Mbappé has prevailed over Yamal in a knockout tie came across two legs. With Paris Saint-Germain in the 2023-24 Champions League quarter-final, he lost 2-3 at the Parc des Princes before winning 4-1 in Catalonia.

Source: L'Équipe