ARLINGTON, Texas — A French squad built around the talents of Kylian Mbappé entered the World Cup semifinals with high expectations and the offensive weapons to challenge Spain’s tough defense. What followed was a sobering 2-0 defeat played at the home stadium of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday — a result that is widely expected to be the final World Cup chapter for head coach Didier Deschamps.
Deschamps has publicly stated this tournament would be his last as France’s manager. His résumé includes a World Cup title as a player in 1998 and another as a coach in Russia eight years ago, along with a runner-up finish in 2022 in Qatar, where Argentina claimed the trophy in a penalty shootout.
Speaking through a translator after Tuesday’s loss, Deschamps reflected on the bitter result while stopping short of discussing what comes next for him. “I’ve been lucky as a player to enjoy happy moments,” he said. “Today is not such a moment. But I think we must accept it without forgetting everything that we’ve experienced so far. But today’s feeling is that I am not happy.”
The fallout from the defeat stretched far beyond Texas. Reports emerged of multiple confrontations breaking out in Paris, with clashes between police and young people also occurring in Lyon.
Back home, French sports media expressed deep disappointment. L’Équipe, the country’s top sports publication, wrote that Deschamps’ players had been outclassed in every area of the game, “unable to live up to their dreams and to the hope they had inspired.” The outlet noted that France had gone through its first six World Cup matches without ever falling behind — a streak that made Tuesday’s collapse all the more jarring.
The players themselves didn’t push back on that assessment, though Mbappé was quick to stand behind his coach. The France captain also pledged full effort in the third-place match against the loser of the Argentina-England semifinal, set for Saturday in Miami Gardens, Florida.
“Nothing changed about what Didier means to us as a French people. As a manager, as a player, he wrote an amazing story,” Mbappé said, noting that Deschamps gave him a brief embrace on the sideline when the final whistle blew. “There’s one game left for him, so we’re going to try to play the best game for him because he deserves it, and also the fans deserve to have a win and finish third in this World Cup.”
The creative spark that France had hoped to get from Mbappé, Ousmane Dembele, and Michael Olise never materialized. Spain recorded their sixth clean sheet in seven World Cup games this tournament.
Mbappé’s clearest scoring opportunity came in the 67th minute when his shot deflected off Spain defender Marc Cucurella and sailed just wide — though Spain already led by two goals at that point. The 27-year-old had come into the match tied with Argentina’s Lionel Messi for the tournament’s top scorer with eight goals each.
Frustration got the better of Mbappé late in the match. He received a yellow card in the 86th minute after rushing toward Spain goalkeeper Unai Simón as the keeper was reaching down for the ball. The collision sent Simón to the turf.
Midfielder Rayan Cherki offered a forward-looking take on the defeat, speaking through a translator. “In so many ways, France was missing everything today,” he said. “We’ll be back in four years, and we won’t make the same mistakes.”
