In what was billed as a blockbuster between arguably the two best teams in the world, Spain defeated France 2-0 in surprisingly convincing fashion. Spain took advantage of French mistakes, used slick passing to maintain possession, and pressed relentlessly to down the French at Atlanta Stadium. Spain was in control from the opening whistle and scored first through a penalty drawn by Lamine Yamal that was converted by Mikel Oyarzabal in the 22nd minute. Then in the second half, right back Pedro Porro found an opening to move into the box and beat Mike Maignan. The results for Spain under head coach Luis de la Fuente are phenomenal. The team has not lost a game in its last two major tournaments. At Euro 2024, Spain won all seven of its games en route to the title. At this World Cup, Spain has won six games and drew once (take a bow, Cape Verde). Spain now enters Sunday’s final as the favorite. 1. Spain’s System Is On Full Display From the opening whistle, it was clear that France was in for a far different test than anything else it has faced at this World Cup. Spain is always an excellent possession-based team that can make its opponents chase the game for long stretches due to its passing. France knew what it was going to face. Spain defeated France each of the three times the teams played this current decade. First was a 2-1 win in the Nations League final in 2021. Then it was a 2-1 win in the semifinals of Euro 2024. Then last year in the Nations League semifinal, Spain won a wild 5-4 decision. Entering this game, France had a lot of momentum with both Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé scoring and assisting in droves. On top of that, Michael Olise was the tournament’s most impactful midfielder. But the story of this game is how France was so overwhelmed when it could not maintain possession or handle the press. France was clearly frustrated chasing the game as much as it did. It could not focus and play to its strengths and get the ball to Mbappé or Dembélé in dangerous areas. Spain played its system to perfection. On both sides of the ball, the entire team was perfectly in synch with each other. Offensively, Yamal was a nightmare for France even if he did not score. Both goals originated from his side of the field. He had a goal called back on a close offside, and he demanded a lot of respect. Defensively, Spain again showed why they are so difficult to score against. Spanish defenders were always shutting down passing lanes and forcing turnovers. It was a double-edged sword. Spain was brilliant, but France also lacked the resolve to figure out solutions. Les Bleus became frustrated and let Spain do whatever they wanted. 2. Rodri Led An Immense Spanish Spine The biggest strength for Spain was its spine, specifically its central defender pairing and central midfield pairing. In the midfield, Rodri and Fabian Ruiz were excellent at winning and maintaining possession. The chemistry they displayed on both sides of the ball was on another level. Rodi was the best player on the field in this game. He was everywhere on both sides of the ball. He won 7/11 of his ground duels. He won 4/4 of his aerials. He drew three fouls. In central defense, Pau Cubarsí and Aymeric Laporte continued to frustrate opponents. Cubarsí is just 19 years old and the season he has had with Barcelona and now leading Spain into the World Cup final with six clean sheets makes him one of the most promising and accomplished teenage players in the world. But with the midfield and defenders so well-connected, it puts less pressure on the attack. Spain does not need to score goals in droves. It can control games and be patient until the moment comes. 3. France’s Cheap Giveaways And Mistakes Proved Costly What was also apparent in this game is how France struggled to often make important passes. There were many times when midfielders could not get the ball into the attack and saw passes intercepted by Spanish defenders. Michael Olise was particularly guilty of this, and that was surprising given how well he had been playing entering into this game. But he was a big reason why Dembélé and Mbappé saw such little of the ball. But Olise was far from the only culprit. Lucas Digne’s foul on Lamine Yamal to concede a penalty was a mental error that cannot be made at such a level. France’s fullback and wingers were never able to get forward to get numbers into the attack. 4. Oyarzabal Scores Big Goals In Big Moments Mikel Oyarzabal is not Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland, or Harry Kane – but he is perfect for this Spain team. Since 2025, he now has 17 goals in 19 games. In 2024, he scored the winner against England in the final of Euro 2024. In this game, he took the penalty in the 22nd minute and hit an unstoppable shot. Oyarzabal is interesting because he is the center forward for maybe the best national team in the world. He doesn’t play for one of the best clubs in the world, such as Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester City, or Paris St. Germain. He plays for Real Sociedad, where he has spent his entire professional career. But Oyarzabal is a testament to this Spanish team that it is about the system and the players that fit that system. It’s about the right players, not necessarily the best players. Oyarzabal is a perfect fit for this team, and he scores the big goals.Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
If Lamine Yamal wins the World Cup on Sunday, he legally wouldn’t be allowed to partake in any celebratory champagne with Spain teammates in the United States. At the age of 19, Yamal will be playing in a World Cup final after helping La Roja defeat France in Tuesday’s semifinal. How does his age compare to previous legends who also played in the final? Let’s take a look: Pelé | Brazil Pelé was 17 years and 249 days when he helped Brazil win its first World Cup in 1958. Pelé had burst onto the international scene at the tournament in Sweden, scoring six goals in all – including in the final over co-hosts. Pelé remains the youngest goalscorer in a World Cup final. Of course, his status only grew as he led Brazil to titles in 1962 and 1970. Diego Maradona | Argentina Maradona was 25 years old when he and Argentina won the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. But he could have joined Pelé as another 17-year-old champion had he been selected to Argentina’s squad in 1978. Despite already being a teen phenom, he was left of that squad by then-coach César Luis Menotti who felt the youngster wouldn’t be able to handle the pressures of a home tournament. Good thing it worked out in the end. Ronaldo | Brazil Another Brazilian legend, another World Cup champion before the age of 18. Although Ronaldo didn’t actually play at the 1994 World Cup, he was part of the squad that won it all at the Rose Bowl. At the age of 17 years and 298 days, Ronaldo was just two months older than when Pelé got his first in 1958. After losing the final in 1998 to hosts France, Ronaldo would win his second career title in 2002 by beating Germany. Kylian Mbappé | France Mbappé burst onto the scene at the 2018 World Cup for France and instantly became a global phenom. At 19 years and 207 days old, he helped Les Bleus lift its second World Cup ever. He made history during that match against Croatia by scoring France’s fourth goal, becoming only the second teenager in history to score in a World Cup final, joining Pelé’s performance in 1958. Lionel Messi | Argentina When compared to other players on this list, Messi was a late bloomer when it came to playing in the World Cup final. He was 27 years old when he and Argentina fell to Germany in the 2014 final in Brazil. Of course, Messi finally helped Argentina get over its World Cup drought by winning the 2022 title at age 35.Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
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Cassidy Daniels is quickly becoming one of country music’s most exciting new artists. Between sharing her original music on the Yellowstone spin-off series, Dutton Ranch, touring with Brothers Osborne and preparing to release her debut full-length album, she continues to build momentum both on and off the stage.
The recent 101 Music signee is now based in Nashville, but her journey began in a military family that moved around frequently throughout her childhood. While she calls North Carolina home, she also spent formative years in Kentucky and Florida, but no matter where she lived, her love for music always followed.
Daniels knew she wanted to pursue music by 9 years old, and at 12, she began building a community in Music City and laying the foundation for the career she has today. She cut her teeth performing on Nashville’s Broadway strip before reaching a national audience as a finalist on CBS’ The Road.
Photo Courtesy of Cassidy Daniels
That experience also led to a connection with Taylor Sheridan, who later featured Daniels throughout the first season of Dutton Ranch, where she performed several original songs, including “Heart Shaped Necklace,” “Crazy Love” and “Ain’t No Jukebox.” All three tracks are set to appear on her forthcoming album, produced by Brothers Osborne’s John Osborne.
Keep reading the exclusive Q&A to learn more about Cassidy Daniels’ journey to Nashville, the new perspective she gained on The Road, Her upcoming album and more.
Was music something that always followed you through all the different places that you lived growing up?
Yeah. So I grew up in a post-9/11 active-duty military family. So songwriting and music was kind of my solace. And it definitely followed me around when we moved because honestly, the little Toys R Us keyboard that I had was our only constant. And it was something that ended up being very therapeutic for me too because my dad was gone in the height of combat. So it ended up being a hobby that kept me busy, kept me distracted and kept me entertained as a kid.
Was your family musical too or was this something that you pursued on your own?
This was something that I pursued. I grew up in the church, so I always sang in church. But to do it for a full-time career, I’m the first in my family to ever do it.
At what point in your life did you really start to pursue it more seriously?
This sounds so crazy, but I was like nine years old. I had a dream. And I just knew. I was like, “Yeah, this is what I’m going to do forever.” And then there was just never a world where I wasn’t going to do music. I mean, I had my want to be a marine biologist phase. Music was plan A.
Photo Courtesy of Cassidy Daniels
What steps did you take to get yourself to get your foot in the door in Nashville?
At the time I was getting into music, I kind of knew that females have a little bit less time than guys do on the spectrum of doing things in music…But I started very young because of that reason. I knew that if I didn’t start when I was like 12 years old, that it would just end up being too late. So I started literally when I was 12 years old and I met Liz Rose when I was 14 and I really just kind of bullied my way into the circles that I needed to be in. I had a lot bigger balls at 14 than I do now. So I just kind of bullied my way into the right circles that I knew would take care of me and wouldn’t take advantage of me. And thank God it worked out.
What was your mission with the kind of songs you were writing at the time and how has that shifted since then?
Well, I think it really started as a… I wanted to perform. I always knew that I wanted to sing and I wanted to perform in front of people. And if songwriting was what was going to get me there, I really made sure to hone in on my craft. So I guess the mission became to write great songs that connect with people so that you can play them for them all over the world.
You got to gain a whole new audience when you were on The Road. Talk about that experience and how you got yourself into that.
The Road was definitely a whirlwind of an experience. So one of my dear friends that’s been just a champion of mine for a long time, her name’s Avon. She called me and she works out in LA in Hollywood as a producer and a music supervisor. And she called me and she was like, “Hey, we have this show that I think it would be perfect for. It’s Taylor Sheridan, it’s Blake Shelton, and it’s Keith Urban. You should come do it.” So she called me and I really trusted her because my initial plan wasn’t to do things like that. I didn’t feel like I was made for TV. I didn’t think that I would do anything more than music and songwriting. And I ended up going on The Road and I let it take me as far as it could possibly take me. And then everything was history from that point on because Taylor Sheridan got ahold of me and put me on a bunch of other shows and it’s been crazy.
You’ve had several songs air on Dutton Ranch and you’ve gotten to perform on the show. How did it feel to share your music in that way?
It’s honestly really wild to think about because I mean, that stuff just doesn’t happen in the industry. So I really take it with gratefulness and appreciate him seeing something in me that I’ve been trying to get people to see for years and years and years.
What have you learned from diving into the TV side of things?
Working on set was honestly the hardest I’ve worked in a very long time. Comparative to like manual labor. It’s a lot of hurry up and wait. It’s a lot of, just mentally taxing because you’re just sitting around and you’re waiting. I got ADHD like a crazy person. It’s hard for me to sit around and wait. And then just like the repetitiveness of it. It was so hard, but I gained a whole new respect for acting and how a show runs and the craft of all that. So now what I’m doing is, in respect for the craft, I’m looking forward to learning more about acting and hopefully becoming a better actor myself.
Photo Courtesy of Cassidy Daniels
So it sounds like you’re open to branching out into even more acting in the future?
Oh my gosh. I totally am open to it. I will pretty much do… If Taylor Sheridan calls me and says he wants to put me on a show, I’m going to do it.
“Crazy Love,” “Heart Shaped Necklace,” and “Ain’t No Jukebox” were all on the series. How did those particular songs get picked for the show?
Well, these songs are actually songs that I’ve been sitting on for literal years. Everyone always underestimates the process of what it takes to put out a song in Nashville. It’s just, for lack of a word, it’s just a bitch to get a song out. Takes so long to record it. And I’ve been sitting on these for literally…”Heart Shaped Necklace” and “Crazy Love” for three years, four years even, and two years for “Ain’t No Jukebox.” So I mean, how these ended up in the show is once again, my friend Avon literally has just been familiarized with my catalog for a long time. And she’s known about those songs and have loved them for a hot minute. And as soon as she found a place for them, she threw them in there.
Talk about what it was like working with John Osborne to produce “Crazy Love” and seeing that song finally come to life after so many years.
“Crazy Love” for me is such a true representation of me as an artist. I’ve played that song at songwriter rounds for years and years and years and had the same reaction with it from every single place I played it at. And I think that with it finally being out, it’s going to get to have the opportunity to live in a new space. And especially with the way that John O produced it. Working with him has been phenomenal. I’ve never had a producer be so kind and open to trying what I would like to see within my vision. And I mean, it’s been a whirlwind, but it’s also been a long time coming.
You’re also currently on the road supporting Brothers Osborne. How did you first get connected with them and what led you to work with John in the studio as well?
I got connected with Brothers Osborne, actually, we met on The Road, on that show. So my entire career has basically been just like a big domino effect. I met Brothers Osborne on set of The Road and I mean literally John was just like, “Yeah, I’ll produce her record.” It’s been an honor working with him. I’ve learned so much from him and TJ, especially on the road and how they do their show. They’ve been a great, great, great mentor for me.
What can you share about this upcoming album?
I can tell you that I have an album coming out in the early fall. I don’t have a release date yet for you…It’s coming out in the early fall and literally every single song is produced by John O. It is literally the songs that I’ve loved and played on stage from dive bars to stadiums. And I think it’s just a collection of songs that really puts my flag in the dirt and says this is who I am.
Will you be dropping any more songs before the full project becomes available in the fall?
For sure. “Ain’t No Jukebox” is going to be a single off that project. So that will be coming out next month… So you’ll get one more single before the album. And then the album’s going to be 10 songs of just literally my diary out on my sleeve in front of the whole world for y’all.
Photo Courtesy of Cassidy Daniels
What was the inspiration behind “Ain’t No Jukebox”?
So I made my living in the dive bars in Nashville for years and years and years before I ever did anything of substance to the music industry. And it was really something that helped me cut my teeth and make me a better player, musician and band leader. And I used to be on Broadway singing and somebody would come request a song and I’d make my living literally one song request at a time. They’d request a song. Sometimes I didn’t know it and I’d go, “Well, honey, I ain’t no jukebox” when they get upset about it. So it kind of just came into the writing room as just a silly story of something that I was just saying because it was funny on stage. And I wrote it with Kenny Whitmire and Lee Starr and they helped turn it into an actual song with a storyline. And it honestly is one of those songs that just kept slipping through the cracks in the best way and right down to our feet where we just knew that this is a honky tonk, stomping song. We got to put this on the record. It kind of weaseled its way in.
When you look back on where you started and all the things you’ve accomplished in between, what do you think is the thing that you’re most proud of for accomplishing so far?
I think if I were to choose something to be proud of with just myself, it’s really picking the right team. I’m very thankful that God gave me a good intuition about people and with my specific team…an artist is only as good as their team is and my team’s been incredible. Another thing would probably be just not taking no for an answer. If I quit every time somebody tell me no, I’d have been done 10 years ago.
Fans can keep up with Cassidy Daniels on Instagram.
This elected authoritarian welcomed home his national-team captain — a goal-scoring winger currently without a club — after the team’s winningest-ever World Cup performance.
That’s Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on the right, welcoming captain Mohamed Salah to a reception honoring the team’s efforts. Egypt reached the Round of 16 in this year’s World Cup — before getting eliminated by Argentina on July 7. Players and team staff were awarded Egypt’s Order of Merit.
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s office says the Garden State should get a cut of the MetLife Stadium grass FIFA plans to sell to soccer fans.
Soccer’s global governing body, a Zurich-based nonprofit, is plotting to charge $450 for sod from this weekend’s World Cup final. But like a lot of the costs for hosting the World Cup, the pitch was subsidized by local hosts.
“New Jersey paid for the vast majority of the total expense for the pitch at MetLife stadium, so New Jersey taxpayers should share in any proceeds from this latest money grab,” Sherrill spokesperson Sean Higgins told New Jersey Playbook.
The great and good of the Brussels bubble has gathered tonight to watch the France-Spain match in a cavernous art gallery rented out by the French embassy.
Ostensibly to mark the country’s Bastille Day, the reception quickly became a watch party for the semifinal, with peoples loading up plates of cheese, bread and canapés.
Attendees include France’s EU Ambassador Philippe Léglise-Costa, the EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas and Spain’s Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares, sweltering in the heat of the un-air-conditioned building.
But the mood quickly turned from one of jubilation to worry and even despondency after Spain scored its opener. A palpable gasp went up, first from one side of the hall and then the other, thanks to the slight delay between the two projectors.
A second Spanish goal after half time sets this up to be a potentially bitter end to a day of patriotism.
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As the cyclosporiasis outbreak unfolds, you may be wondering what’s unsafe to consume. Steering clear of these items is probably a good idea right now.
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Fish can feel intimidating to prepare, but while both salmon and cod can be made successfully at home, one variety proves a touch more accessible to a beginner.
