France captain Kylian Mbappe has admitted Les Bleus fell short in their FIFA World Cup semi-final against Spain, describing his side’s performance as too “sloppy” to prevent a 2-0 defeat in Arlington, Texas.
The loss ended France’s hopes of reaching a third consecutive World Cup final, with Spain dominating possession through the midfield pairing of Rodri and Fabian Ruiz.
“We were three against two in midfield and against Spain, that’s hard,” Mbappe said. “Fabian and Rodri had plenty of time to play.
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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 entered the semi-final on the back of six straight victories and 16 goals in the tournament, but struggled to impose themselves against a well-organised Spanish side.
Mikel Oyarzabal gave Spain the lead from the penalty spot in the 22nd minute after Lucas Digne fouled Lamine Yamal, before Pedro Porro sealed victory with a second goal just before the hour mark.
Mbappe revealed that France’s strategy was to press Spain high up the pitch and deny them time in possession.
However, Spain repeatedly played through the French press and quickly regained control whenever possession changed hands.
“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 lamented his team’s lack of quality on the ball, saying poor first touches and missed opportunities prevented France from capitalising on the few openings they created.
“We were too sloppy technically,” Mbappe said. “We could not hurt them when we could have.”
France coach Didier Deschamps attempted to change the game’s momentum by introducing Désiré Doué and Rayan Cherki after replacing Adrien Rabiot at half-time, but the substitutions failed to disrupt Spain’s rhythm.
Mbappe, who came into the match with eight goals, was unable to add to his tally but remains tied with Argentina captain Lionel Messi in the race for the tournament’s Golden Boot.
He also finished the 2022 FIFA World Cup with eight goals, although France lost that final to Argentina on penalties.
“As the captain, I have to take all the responsibility and I have no problem with that,” Mbappe said.
“We wanted to go to the final. We didn’t go.”
France will now turn their attention to Saturday’s third-place play-off in Miami Gardens, where they will face the loser of the semi-final between Argentina and England.
