French Media Reacts to World Cup Semi-Final Loss
The France national team faced a wave of criticism from the French media following their 0-2 defeat to Spain in the World Cup semi-final. The match, played in Dallas, saw Didier Deschamps’ side fall short of expectations, leading to a frank assessment of their performance.
French outlets highlighted the team’s struggles, with one newspaper featuring an image of a dejected Kylian Mbappe and a headline proclaiming him a “fallen star.” The publication also described the team as “powerless” against Spain. Another newspaper used the headline “rude awakening,” noting that the team “never found the key to break down the Spanish Armada.” Other reactions included descriptions of Spain having “taught France a lesson.”
Player and Coach Reactions
Midfielder Rayan Cherki expressed significant disappointment, stating, “It’s a huge disappointment, huge because today we lost to ourselves. We didn’t lose to the referee, we didn’t lose to Spain, we lost to ourselves.” He added that the team knew they were a formidable force and that only they could eliminate themselves, which he believes is what occurred.
Head coach Didier Deschamps acknowledged that his team was “below our standard” and committed “more technical flaws than before.” He noted that despite having skilled players on the bench, injuries to William Saliba and a yellow card risk for Adrien Rabiot impacted decisions. Deschamps concluded that to secure a victory, France needed to be at their maximum, which they were not, leading to extreme disappointment.
Kylian Mbappe, the team captain, also voiced his frustration, attributing the defeat to tactical and technical errors. He stated, “I don’t think we played the match we wanted to play – whether tactically, technically, or in terms of our overall performance level.” Mbappe emphasized that failing to perform as required in a World Cup semi-final results in a loss.
Tactical Shortcomings and Player Ratings
Mbappe specifically pointed to issues in midfield, where France’s Adrien Rabiot and Aurelien Tchouameni were reportedly outnumbered by Spain’s Rodri, Dani Olmo, and Fabian Ruiz. He described finding themselves “outnumbered 3-on-2 in midfield” as a significant problem against Spain. The Real Madrid star had aimed to press Spain high to disrupt their controlled rhythm, an objective he admitted the team failed to achieve.
The French media’s player ratings were particularly harsh. One publication did not give any player a score above 5/10. Lucas Digne received a 2/10 for his involvement in conceding a penalty, while Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise also scored 2/10 due to ineffective attacking performances. Kylian Mbappe was rated 3/10, the same score given to head coach Didier Deschamps, who will manage his final match for the national team in the third-place play-off on Saturday.
The match saw Mikel Oyarzabal score a first-half penalty, followed by Pedro Porro’s second-half strike, which sealed France’s elimination. Mbappe, who had scored goals during France’s run to the semi-finals, expressed the squad’s “immense disappointment” and the difficulty in articulating their feelings. He stressed the importance of learning from the failure and moving forward, as “football waits for no one.”
Despite the disappointment, Mbappe urged the team to face the outcome “with our heads held high.” He noted that the dream of reaching the final and making history for their country had ended.
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Source: skysports.com
