Lamine Yamal became the center of controversy when he did not receive a card after a dangerous foul on Kylian Mbappe in the 2026 World Cup semifinals.
On July 14, Lamine Yamal continued to make his mark in Spain’s 2-0 victory over France in the semifinals of the 2026 World Cup, but this time in a controversial way. The young talent of “La Roja” escaped punishment despite a tackle from behind that left Kylian Mbappe lying on the pitch in pain in the 76th minute. The situation took place when Spain was leading France 2-0.
In an effort to stop a counter-attack, Yamal lunged in from behind and swept Mbappe’s leg. The French forward immediately fell to the pitch, clutching his ankle in pain.
However, referee Ivan Barton did not pull out a yellow card for the 19-year-old player and only awarded France a free kick. This decision caused manager Didier Deschamps to react fiercely on the touchline. The French strategist continuously complained to the refereeing crew, but could not change the situation.
Immediately after that, social media exploded with many opinions criticizing Mr. Barton. Not a few fans argued that the Salvadoran referee was too lenient with Yamal in a match of a decisive nature.
Prior to that, Yamal was also the main character in the situation that brought about the opening penalty kick for Spain. Lucas Digne made a clearance error and kicked the leg of the player on Barcelona’s payroll in the penalty area.
After reviewing the situation, the referee awarded “La Roja” a penalty, and Mikel Oyarzabal did not miss the opportunity to open the scoring.
By the beginning of the second half, Pedro Porro doubled the lead, helping Spain create a big advantage before the collision between Yamal and Mbappe occurred.
Despite not receiving a card, Yamal still became the focus of the semi-final match due to his high-energy yet fierce performance. Spain will step into the final and wait for their opponent to appear after the remaining semi-final match between England and Argentina.
