France was eliminated from the World Cup semifinals after a 2-0 loss to Spain on Tuesday. The defeat means Kylian Mbappé and his team will not compete in a third consecutive World Cup final. Instead, France will play in the third-place match on Saturday in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Mbappé, a prominent scorer in the tournament, expressed his disappointment following the match. He acknowledged that France did not perform adequately to reach the final. “At the end of the day, you take all the glory when you win,” Mbappé stated. “When you don’t win … it’s part of the game. As the captain, I have to take all the responsibility, and I have no problem with that. We wanted to go to the final. We didn’t go.”
Tactical challenges and key moments
Mbappé had limited involvement in the first half, recording only 15 touches, the fewest among all forwards. A significant moment in the match occurred when a penalty was awarded to Spain in the 22nd minute. This decision followed a foul by Lucas Digne on Lamine Yamal. Despite Mbappé’s attempts to challenge the call with referee Ivan Barton, the penalty stood, and Mikel Oyarzabal converted it, giving Spain a lead they maintained throughout the game.
Mbappé commented on Spain’s playing style, noting their control of the game and the ball. He suggested that France allowed Spain too much time and space in the midfield, which ultimately proved difficult to counter. “It’s a team who loves to have control of the game, control of the ball,” Mbappé said. “That’s what we let them do. We let the midfield too much time to play, and at the end of the day they had quality to play. It’s difficult when you don’t change the play of Spain. We weren’t at the level to go to the final.”
France’s best scoring opportunity came in the 67th minute when Mbappé’s shot deflected off Spain defender Marc Cucurella, going just wide of the goal. By this point, Spain had already established a two-goal advantage. Mbappé received a yellow card in the 86th minute after colliding with Spain goalkeeper Unai Simón.
Coach’s reaction and tournament context
France coach Didier Deschamps voiced his displeasure regarding the officiating, particularly concerning the penalty decision. When asked about the referee’s performance, Deschamps questioned whether Ivan Barton, the referee from El Salvador, was suitable to officiate a World Cup semifinal. He clarified that his concerns extended beyond just the penalty, citing an “accumulation of things.”
The penalty incident involved Digne attempting to clear an errant Spanish cross. Yamal, approaching from Digne’s blindside, was struck in the torso by Digne’s kick within the box. While the contact led to an immediate penalty signal from Barton, the fact that Yamal did not possess the ball made the decision a difficult one for France to accept, as it significantly altered the game’s momentum.
This loss marks the end of Deschamps’ tenure as France’s coach, as he plans to step down after the tournament. He has led the team for 14 years, including their World Cup victory in 2018. The third-place match will be his final game in charge.
Mbappé continues to be in a tight race for the Golden Boot award, currently tied with Lionel Messi of Argentina with eight goals each in the tournament. Mbappé holds a tiebreaker advantage with three assists compared to Messi’s two. Both players will have one more match to determine the award’s winner. France will face the loser of the other semifinal, while Spain will play the winner in the final in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Mbappé had previously won the Golden Boot in the last World Cup in Qatar, where France lost to Messi and Argentina in a penalty shootout in the final. Eight years ago, France secured the World Cup title by defeating Croatia in Russia.
Spain midfielder Rodri highlighted his team’s focus as key to their victory, stating, “They (France) can punish you at every single moment, so I think the focus in every single minute was key in this game.” Spain’s strong defensive performance throughout the tournament has seen them concede only one goal across seven World Cup games, and they now stand one win away from their second World Cup championship.
Argentina and England are scheduled to play in the other semifinal match on Wednesday.
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Source: sportsnet.ca
