Kylian Mbappe did not hide his frustration after France’s World Cup semifinal loss to Spain, delivering a blunt post-match verdict on his team’s 2-0 exit in Arlington, Texas.
The France captain said Les Bleus were simply not sharp enough in key moments, pointing to a poor tactical structure and weak communication that allowed Spain to control the match and dominate possession. Spain repeatedly found an extra man in midfield, with Rodri and Fabian Ruiz given the time and space to dictate the rhythm of the game.
“We were three against two in midfield and against Spain, that’s hard,” Mbappe admitted. “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 entered the semifinal in excellent form, winning all of their first six matches and scoring 16 goals, but they struggled to create real danger against a well-organized Spain side. Mikel Oyarzabal converted a penalty in the 22nd minute after Lucas Digne fouled Lamine Yamal, before Pedro Porro added a second goal shortly before the hour mark.
Mbappe explained that France’s plan was to press high and stop Spain from settling into their preferred passing game, but the strategy fell apart. Instead, Spain worked their way through the press and quickly recovered the ball whenever France managed to win it back.
“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 criticized France’s overall quality on the ball, saying poor first touches and missed chances stopped them from threatening Spain when openings appeared.
“We were too sloppy technically,” he said. “We could not hurt them when we could have.”
Didier Deschamps tried to change the flow by substituting Adrien Rabiot at halftime and later bringing on Desire Doue and Rayan Cherki, but the adjustments failed to disturb Spain’s control. Mbappe, who entered the match with eight tournament goals, was kept scoreless.
He now shares the Golden Boot lead with Lionel Messi after also scoring eight goals at the 2022 World Cup, where France lost the final to Argentina on penalties. Mbappe said he would take full responsibility as captain for the disappointment.
“As the captain, I have to take all the responsibility and I have no problem with that,” he said. “We wanted to go to the final. We didn’t go.”
France will now play the loser of Wednesday’s Argentina-England semifinal in the third-place match in Miami Gardens, Florida.
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