India, July 15 -- Despite producing a breathtaking World Cup campaign in which he scored eight goals and added three assists across France's first six matches, Kylian Mbappe was silenced when it mattered most. Spain shut down the French captain completely in Tuesday's semifinal in Dallas, ending both his influence and France's bid for a third successive World Cup final.

For a side that arrived with the tournament's most feared attacking quartet, France barely threatened. They managed just three shots on target, with their first not arriving until the 81st minute. Mbappe, remarkably, failed to register a single shot on target for only the second time in his World Cup career. The first came in the 2022 quarter-final against England, a matc...