There is often little to choose between two teams competing in a World Cup semi-final, meaning a piece of magic from an attacking player or a careless mistake from an opponent can be the difference between victory and defeat.That is not how things panned out in Spain’s 2-0 victory over France, in a fascinating contest that saw few instances of individual moments.Instead, there was beauty in the collective effort as Luis de la Fuente’s side posted one of the most complete, well-rounded team performances of the entire tournament.This is how they did it.Spain’s possession-dominant style is woven into their identity, and it played a core role in staving off the attacking threat of France’s dangerous front four of Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola and Michael Olise. The logic is simple: if you do not have the ball, you cannot inflict the damage you want to.The experienced Rodri and Fabian Ruiz comfortably won the midfield battle, supported by Dani Olmo, who would neatly stitch play together while offering his own defensive bite when Spain did give up possession.Full-backs Marc Cucurella and Pedro Porro were often the release valve when Spain were under pressure, supporting the build-up and getting forward in attack when the opportunity arose — as they have done all tournament.The strong foundation that Spain had in possession is shown below. The anchoring Rodri and Ruiz stayed central, while their team-mates created a front five to overload France’s back line and stretch them across both touchlines.So much of Spain’s performance was built upon their calmness and dominance on the ball. The balance of Spain’s structure in their passing network is a sight to behold, with connections across the pitch that have a near-perfect symmetry.Olmo’s deftness of touch to set up Porro for Spain’s second goal epitomised Spain’s cultured performance on the ball, but the fact that Spain’s performance was not always aesthetically pleasing will arguably please De la Fuente more.