Mbappe blames tactical, technical blunders for World Cup semifinal loss
France captain Kylian Mbappe rued his team’s tactical and technical errors after a 0-2 loss to Spain in the World Cup semifinal in Dallas. He highlighted the midfield disadvantage and the failure to press high as key reasons for the defeat.
France’s World Cup dream ended in disappointment on Tuesday as they lost 0-2 to Spain in the semifinal in Dallas. Captain Kylian Mbappe, who was aiming for a third consecutive World Cup final appearance, was critical of his team’s performance.
“I don’t think we played the match we wanted to play – whether tactically, technically, or in terms of our overall performance level,” Mbappe told French broadcaster M6. “Our goal was to press them high up the pitch to prevent them from settling into that slow, controlled rhythm – because when it comes to controlling the game, they are better than us. We failed to do that.”
Mbappe, who scored eight goals in the tournament, pointed to a midfield problem where France’s duo of Adrien Rabiot and Aurelien Tchouameni were outnumbered by Spain’s trio of Rodri, Dani Olmo and Fabian Ruiz. “We kept finding ourselves outnumbered 3-on-2 in midfield,” he said. “And against Spain, that’s a real problem… When you put it all together, the result is a defeat. It’s a huge disappointment.”
The Real Madrid star admitted the squad was crestfallen but stressed the need to accept the defeat with dignity. “It was a dream for us to reach the final, to give our country the chance to keep dreaming and to make history,” he said. “Now, it is something we have to face with our heads held high. I believe that when you win, you win with your head held high; so when you lose, you have to lose with your head held high, too.”
Mbappe, who was seen embracing coach Didier Deschamps after the match, vowed to learn from the setback. “Football waits for no one. We have to start over, put this failure behind us, and learn from it.”
