France captain Kylian Mbappe questioned his team’s tactical approach after their 2-0 defeat to Spain in the FIFA World Cup semi-final on Tuesday, admitting Les Bleus failed to execute their game plan and were second best throughout the contest.
The loss ended France’s bid to reach a third consecutive World Cup final. Mbappe, who finished the tournament with eight goals, remains tied with Argentina captain Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot.
Spain controlled proceedings from start to finish, with midfield duo Rodri and Fabian Ruiz dominating possession and dictating the tempo. Reflecting on the defeat, Mbappe felt France’s midfield setup allowed Spain too much freedom.
“We were three against two in midfield and against Spain, that’s hard. Fabian and Rodri had plenty of time on the ball. There was a lack of communication in our press. I think we should have gone man-to-man and forced them to run with us,” Mbappe said after the match.
The Real Madrid forward admitted France fell short both technically and tactically against the reigning European champions.
“We didn’t play the game we wanted, technically or tactically. When you don’t do what you have to do in a World Cup semi-final, you don’t win. Spain stuck to their game plan. They like to control possession and dictate the tempo. Our plan was to press them high and stop them from settling, but we couldn’t do it.”
Mbappe also pointed to France’s poor ball control whenever they regained possession.
“Even when we recovered the ball, our first touch wasn’t good enough. That’s how you lose games. It’s a huge disappointment, but if we’re honest, we didn’t do enough to deserve a place in the final.”
Spain took control after Mikel Oyarzabal converted a penalty following Lucas Digne’s foul on Lamine Yamal. Didier Deschamps attempted to change the game with second-half substitutions, introducing Désiré Doué and Rayan Cherki after replacing Adrien Rabiot at half-time, but the changes failed to alter the momentum.
Cherki echoed Mbappe’s assessment, admitting France were outplayed in every department.
“They were better than us in every aspect of the game and hungrier than us. Even on an off day, we have to be better technically, tactically and mentally. Today, we were missing everything. We’ll learn from this and come back stronger.”
Frustration boiled over late in the match when Mbappe collided with Spain goalkeeper Unai Simón while attempting to close him down, earning a yellow card in the 86th minute.
Taking responsibility as captain, Mbappe accepted the disappointment of the defeat.
“As captain, I take full responsibility. We wanted to reach the final, but we didn’t.”
France will now face the loser of the second semi-final between Argentina and England in the third-place playoff on Saturday in Miami Gardens, Florida.
