Spain's World Cup semi-final victory over France has left the team and its fans feeling proud and accomplished, but midfielder Rodri has also expressed frustration with the refereeing during the match. Rodri praised his team's performance, saying it was "impressive," but criticized the referee for failing to protect 19-year-old player Yamal.
The match was a dominating performance by Spain, with Pedro Porro scoring the team's second goal with half an hour remaining. France rarely threatened to equalize, and Spain secured the win with a penalty goal by Mikel Oyarzabal. Rodri said that his team was proud of its performance and was looking forward to the final against either Argentina or England.
Rodri also criticized the refereeing during the match, saying that it was "obvious" and that the referees had been too lenient with France's players. He pointed out that there were too many fouls committed against Yamal, who was hacked down by Lucas Digna, and that the referees failed to call them. Rodri said that this permissiveness was clear and was especially evident during the match.
France's World Cup hopes were dashed by the defeat, and former player Patrick Vieira was disappointed by the result. Vieira said that France's performance was collectively bad and that the team's top players failed to deliver. He praised Spain's dominance in the game, saying that they were the better team and that they had prepared well tactically.
