France falls 0-2 to Spain in World Cup semi-final, French media reacts
France suffered a 0-2 defeat against Spain in the World Cup semi-final, prompting a strong reaction from French media outlets. The match, played in Arlington, Texas, saw Mikel Oyarzabal score a first-half penalty, followed by Pedro Porro’s second-half strike, which secured Spain’s victory. This result eliminated France from the tournament.
French publications offered critical assessments of the national team’s performance. L’Equipe featured an image of Kylian Mbappe with the headline “Fallen star,” stating that the team was “powerless” to stop Spain. The newspaper also released player ratings, with no French player receiving a score higher than 5/10.
Player Performances and Media Reactions
Several French players received particularly low ratings from L’Equipe. Lucas Digne was given a 2/10 for his involvement in conceding Spain’s penalty. Both Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise also received a 2/10 due to what were described as ineffective attacking displays. Kylian Mbappe was rated 3/10, the same score given to France head coach Didier Deschamps.
Other French media outlets echoed the sentiment of disappointment. Le Parisien used the headline “Rude awakening,” noting that the team “never found the key to break down the Spanish Armada.” Corse Martin highlighted the Spanish word for “disappointment” on its front page, indicating that Deschamps’ side was “outclassed.” Le Figaro suggested Spain “taught France a lesson,” while Ouest France characterized the loss as the “end of the American dream.” Images of a dejected Kylian Mbappe were prominently featured on the front pages of every French newspaper.
Team Reflections on the Defeat
Following the match, French players and the coach shared their perspectives on the loss. Midfielder Rayan Cherki expressed significant disappointment, stating, “It’s a huge disappointment, huge because today we lost to ourselves. We didn’t lose to the referee, we didn’t lose to Spain, we lost to ourselves.” He added that the team knew they were a formidable force and that only they could eliminate themselves, which he felt happened.
Coach Didier Deschamps acknowledged Spain’s strength, noting, “The Spanish team is a strong one. It is tough and proved their skills today.” He admitted that France performed below their usual standard and made more technical errors than before. Deschamps also mentioned that while he has skilled players on the bench, William Saliba sustained an injury, and Adrien Rabiot was at risk due to a yellow card.
Mbappe, the French captain, attributed the defeat to tactical and technical errors. He told French broadcaster M6, “I don’t think we played the match we wanted to play – whether tactically, technically, or in terms of our overall performance level.” He emphasized that failing to perform as expected in a World Cup semi-final leads to not winning. Mbappe also highlighted the team’s failure to press high up the pitch, which was intended to disrupt Spain’s controlled rhythm.
Mbappe identified the midfield as a critical area where France struggled, stating, “We kept finding ourselves outnumbered 3-on-2 in midfield.” He noted that this imbalance against Spain created a significant problem. Despite the “immense disappointment,” Mbappe stressed the importance of the team learning from the loss and moving forward, as “football waits for no one.”
Didier Deschamps is scheduled to manage his final match in charge of the national team in Saturday’s third-place play-off.
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Source: skysports.com
