Kylian Mbappe delivered a harsh verdict on France’s World Cup campaign Tuesday, saying his team’s technical sloppiness and tactical breakdowns allowed Spain to cruise to a 2-0 semifinal victory in Arlington, Texas.
The French captain acknowledged that Les Bleus fell short in both strategy and execution, ending their bid for a third straight appearance in the World Cup final. Spain repeatedly created numerical advantages in midfield, giving Rodri and Fabian Ruiz the freedom to control possession throughout the match.
“We were three against two in midfield and against Spain, that’s hard,” Mbappe said. “Fabian and Rodri had plenty of time to play. There was a lack of communication on the press. I think we should have done man-to-man press and force them to run with us.”
France had looked unstoppable heading into the semifinal, winning all six of its previous matches and putting up 16 goals. But the attack never found its footing against Spain. Mikel Oyarzabal converted a penalty kick in the 22nd minute after Lucas Digne fouled Lamine Yamal, and Pedro Porro added a second goal just before the hour mark to seal the result.
Mbappe said France’s original plan was to press aggressively and keep Spain from settling into its possession-based style. That approach backfired, as Spain repeatedly broke through the pressure and quickly won the ball back whenever France managed to grab it.
“We didn’t play the game we wanted, technically, tactically,” Mbappe said. “When you don’t do what you have to do in a World Cup semifinal, you don’t win.”
The Real Madrid forward also took aim at his team’s ball-handling, saying poor first touches and squandered chances kept France from threatening Spain even when openings presented themselves.
“We were too sloppy technically,” Mbappe said. “We could not hurt them when we could have.”
Coach Didier Deschamps attempted to shake things up by pulling Adrien Rabiot at halftime and bringing on Desire Doue and Rayan Cherki later in the match. None of the substitutions managed to loosen Spain’s grip on the game. Mbappe himself finished without a goal despite entering the match as the tournament’s leading scorer with eight goals to his name.
He is currently tied with Argentina’s Lionel Messi for the Golden Boot award. Mbappe also scored eight goals at the 2022 World Cup, a tournament that ended in heartbreak for France when Argentina defeated them in the final on penalty kicks.
“As the captain, I have to take all the responsibility and I have no problem with that,” Mbappe said. “We wanted to go to the final. We didn’t go.”
France will face the loser of Wednesday’s semifinal between Argentina and England in a third-place match scheduled for Saturday in Miami Gardens, Florida.
