This combination of pictures created on July 7, 2024 shows France’s head coach Didier Deschamps (left) and Spain’s head coach Luis de la Fuente. File
| Photo Credit: AFP

Spain and France face off for a place in the Euro 2024 final on July 9 after taking contrasting routes to the semifinal clash in Munich.

As France have stumbled their way through to the last four, Spain’s flowing football has made them the team to beat in Germany.

However, they will have to overturn a poor record against the French in major tournament competition to do so.

AFP Sport looks at five classic clashes between the two nations:

Platini’s Euro 84

The first meeting between two of European football’s powerhouses at a major tournament did not take place until the final of Euro 1984.

Hosts France emerged victorious led by the imperious Michel Platini — whose nine goals in a single tournament remains a Euros record.

Platini opened the scoring at the Parc des Princes in a moment that dogged Spanish goalkeeper Luis Arconada for the rest of his career.

Arconada let the French legend’s low free-kick slip through his grasp before Bruno Bellone chipped the Spanish goalie in stoppage time to seal France’s first major tournament victory.

Djorkaeff stunner at Euro 2000

France also defeated Spain 2-1 en route to their second Euros win in the Netherlands and Belgium.

The quarter-final clash in Bruges was a classic featuring a free-kick from another iconic French number 10.

Zinedine Zidane’s sumptuous set-piece put Les Bleus in front before Gaizka Mendieta’s penalty levelled.

Youri Djorkaeff smashed home the winner for a French side that was captained by current boss Didier Deschamps.

Zidane’s last chance

France’s dominance of the fixture in major tournament matches continued on German soil at the 2006 World Cup.

Spain had appeared the team to beat in the group stage and went in front in the last-16 clash in Hannover through David Villa’s penalty.

But France hit back on their road to the final.

Franck Ribery levelled with his first international goal before Patrick Vieira and Zidane — in the tournament that was his swansong — fired France into the quarterfinals.

Spain’s three-peat

Spain finally managed their first competitive win over Les Bleus in the quarterfinals of Euro 2012.

On his 100th international appearance, Xabi Alonso scored both goals in Donetsk with an early diving header and late penalty to seal France’s fate.

Spain would go on to win a third consecutive major tournament after Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup.

Mbappe wins the Nations League

The most recent meeting between the sides saw France win the Nations League final 2-1 in Milan in controversial fashion three years ago.

Two goals in barely two minutes sparked the final into life as Mikel Oyarzabal fired Spain in front before Karim Benzema’s stunning strike levelled matters.

Real Madrid-bound Kylian Mbappe then scored the winner as a subtle stepover outfoxed Unai Simon.

Spain were furious the goal was allowed to stand as Mbappe had clearly been standing in an offside position, but the VAR official did not intervene as he deemed Eric Garcia’s attempted clearance as a deliberate play on the ball.

This combination of pictures created on July 7, 2024 shows Spain’s forward Alvaro Morata and France’s forward Kylian Mbappe.
| Photo Credit: AFP

France go into July 9 Euro 2024 semi-final showdown against Spain hoping Kylian Mbappe can finally produce a performance worthy of his superstar status at a tournament in which he has struggled to find form and fitness.

The match in Munich is a mouthwatering prospect and a huge occasion in particular for Mbappe, in his first major tournament captaining his country and just before he starts a new chapter in his career at Real Madrid.

At 25, and having just completed his dream move to the Champions League winners, Mbappe should be in the prime of his footballing life.

But the man who won the World Cup as a teenager and scored an incredible hat-trick in the 2022 final in Qatar, has not been able to play anywhere near his best at the European Championship.

Mbappe joined up with the France squad after a difficult final campaign at Paris Saint-Germain which was marred by a slightly messy divorce from the club as his playing time was reduced.

Already floundering to some extent physically, lacking his usual explosive edge, a broken nose in Les Bleus’ opening game at the tournament against Austria has further diminished him.

He has scored just once, from a penalty, at the Euros and it may be no exaggeration to say his performance in Friday’s quarter-final against Portugal in Hamburg was the worst of his career in such a big game.

Mbappe ended up being substituted halfway through extra time — he later admitted he was simply exhausted — and so watched from the sidelines as his teammates won on penalties.

“He might not have been here at all, so we need to look at it in a positive light,” coach Didier Deschamps told broadcaster TF1 on Sunday.

“Kylian is here, even if he is not at 100 percent, and I know that has an impact on the opposition who are forced to adapt to him.”

Whether Spain are too worried remains to be seen, with Mbappe clearly inhibited by the protective mask he has to wear over his injured nose.

There is little prospect of him challenging for a header, and he has indicated that his field of vision is reduced by the mask.

His poor form, along with that of vice-captain Antoine Griezmann, helps explain why France have scored just three goals in five games on their run to the semi-final — one being Mbappe’s penalty against Poland and the other two coming via own goals.

‘When he talks, we listen’

However, Mbappe’s teammates insist they are not worried about their captain’s performances.

“I don’t think he is going through a bad period. He had a great season. If he is not scoring goals we need to help him. The competition is not over. Apart from his little nose, he is fine,” said Randal Kolo Muani, who played with Mbappe at PSG in the last campaign, on Sunday.

Mbappe is France’s third-top scorer of all time with 48 goals in 83 appearances, but he has just two in his last nine caps.

In the meantime, he has settled into the role of captain which he was given after Hugo Lloris retired in the wake of the 2022 World Cup.

On Friday, after being substituted, television cameras caught Mbappe giving a rousing speech to his teammates just before the penalty shoot-out against Portugal.

“Kylian is the player who went through one-on-one three times in a World Cup final,” said midfielder Youssouf Fofana in reference to his hat-trick against Argentina in Doha.

“So when he talks about penalties before a shoot-out, we listen to him.”

Mbappe is also very much at ease in front of the media, and has notably used the platform given to him in pre-game press conferences to talk politics, making clear his opposition to the far-right National Rally in relation to the French parliamentary elections.

He is a natural leader, but it is goals that this shot-shy France team want more than anything from him.

Mbappe will not come directly up against one of his future club colleagues against Spain, with right-back Dani Carvajal suspended after his sending-off against Germany in the quarter-finals.

Whoever replaces Carvajal, Mbappe will hope to come out on top and lead France to a third final in the last four major tournaments.