Kylian Mbappe: France Captain Admits Spain Deserved World Cup Semifinal Victory

Kylian Mbappe admitted France failed to match Spain’s quality after a 2-0 defeat in the FIFA World Cup semifinal on Tuesday, ending Les Bleus’ hopes of reaching a third consecutive World Cup final.

Speaking to French broadcaster M6, the France captain said his team could not execute its tactical plan against a Spain side that controlled possession and dictated the pace of the match.

“I don’t think we played the match we wanted to play—tactically, technically or in terms of our overall performance,” Mbappe said.

He added that France paid the price for failing to perform in one of football’s biggest matches.

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“When you don’t do what you’re supposed to do in a World Cup semifinal, you don’t win,” he said.

France entered the match with a plan to press Spain high up the pitch and disrupt the European champions’ possession-based style. Mbappe admitted the strategy failed from the opening stages.

“Our goal was to press them high because when it comes to controlling the game, they are better than us. We failed to do that,” he said.

Spain dominated midfield throughout the contest. Rodri, Dani Olmo, and Fabian Ruiz repeatedly outnumbered France’s Adrien Rabiot and Aurelien Tchouameni, allowing Spain to control possession and create scoring opportunities.

“We kept finding ourselves outnumbered three against two in midfield. Against Spain, that’s a real problem,” Mbappe said.

He described the defeat as a major disappointment after France’s hopes of another World Cup final came to an end.

“It was our dream to reach the final, to give our country the chance to keep dreaming and make history,” he said.

Mbappe admitted the result left the entire squad devastated.

“Right now, there is immense disappointment. It’s difficult to express how disappointed the squad and I are,” he added.

Despite the setback, the Real Madrid forward urged his teammates to learn from the defeat and prepare for future tournaments.

“We have to pick ourselves up, go on vacation and move on to the next chapter because football waits for no one,” Mbappe said.

“We must learn from this failure and come back stronger.”

Mbappe finished the FIFA World Cup with eight goals, but his impressive individual campaign could not prevent France from falling short against a disciplined Spanish side.

Spain’s victory sends the reigning European champions into the FIFA World Cup final, while France will now begin preparations for upcoming international competitions.