Considered by many as the main favorite to win the world football title, this year, the French team lost (0-2) the semi-final against Spain, missing the qualification in the last act of the competition. Both coach Didier Deschamps and captain Kylian Mbappe recognized the superiority of the Iberians.
The goals of the match played in Dallas were scored by Oyarzabal (min. 22 – penalty) and Porro (min. 58). Spain also reached the final in 2010, when they won the title.
After the game, coach Didier Deschamps said that the French players blame the failure: “The players are devastated, but we have to be realistic. We were technically inferior. It’s our fault. But I will ask a question: is the referee up to the standards of refereeing a semi-final? I’m not going to answer that. There were quite a few situations… But the main reason is that we simply did not live up to expectations, with some technical errors, passes that could have led to opportunities. This is high-level football, even if it hurts. We will play the match for third place. I don’t want to ignore everything that has been done, but in this match, Spain showed something more”, said Deschamps.
Being at the end of his mandate as a selector, Didier Deschamps marked the match with the number 26 at the World Cup as a selector, being followed by Helmut Schon (RF Germany) – 25 and Carlos Alberto Parreira (Brazil) – 23: “I don’t think about myself. I prepared for the game with the players and the goal was to do everything we could to go all the way. I didn’t succeed, and the disappointment is huge. But I don’t remember all the good things I did. I thought we recovered very well… The Spanish team was in full control“.
Mbappe says the game plan was not followed
Although he did not appear in the mixed zone, Kylian Mbappé gave a statement to the M6 station, through which he seems to have questioned the tactical decisions of the coach Didier Deschamps: “We always found ourselves in a situation of three against two in the middle. What is complicated against Spain… Fabián Ruiz and Rodri had a lot of time to play when we went out to the central defenders. There was a lack of communication in the press. We had to play one-on-one, make them run.
When you don’t do what you have to do in a World Cup semi-final, you don’t win. Spain followed its plan. It is a team that likes to control the ball and the pace of the match. We wanted to press them up the pitch to not let them impose a false rhythm. We failed to do that. There were too many technical inaccuracies, we didn’t manage to harm them It’s a team that doesn’t like to run without the ball. But even when we recovered the ball, the first passes, the first touches were not worthy of a World Cup semi-final. It’s a big disappointment, but we didn’t put together all the necessary ingredients to reach the final”, said the Real Madrid player.
Mbappe continued on the same note: “It was a dream for us to reach the final, to give our country the chance to continue dreaming, to write history. We have to face this situation head on. The disappointment is enormous. I can’t find the right words… But like any high-level player – it may sound mechanical to say this – I have to keep my head up. We go on vacation and move on. Football waits for no one. We will have to learn from this defeat and leave it behind. Other matches will follow, either at the club or at the national team“.
Macron’s reaction
French President Emmanuel Macron sent a message of support for the team while congratulating the opponents:
“Congratulations to Spain for this qualification. I thank the Blues for representing our colors with such dedication. Tonight’s loss is hard to stomach, but this team is young and full of promise”, wrote the leader from the Élysée Palace on X.
Spain will play in the final with the winner of the game between England and Argentina, which is scheduled this evening, from 22:00. France will play the match for the bronze medal in the company of the loser of the second semi-final. The final is scheduled for Sunday, at 22.00, and the match for the 3rd-4th places will be played a day earlier.
