​Mbappé: "We Were Nowhere Near Semi-Final Level Technically – That Cost Us the Game"

July 15 – France fell to a 2–0 defeat against Spain in the World Cup semi-final, ending their tournament run. After the match, captain Kylian Mbappé spoke to M6 and delivered a sharp assessment of his side's shortcomings.

On the reasons for the defeat

"We failed to produce the performance we wanted – neither tactically, nor technically, nor at the level we're capable of. When you fail to deliver in a World Cup semi-final, you can't win. Spain executed their game plan perfectly – they played their style, keeping possession and controlling the tempo. Our idea was to press high, stop them from building that rhythm, but we never managed it. We made too many technical errors, and we failed to hurt them when we should have."

He also highlighted communication issues in the press: "We let ourselves be dragged into their rhythm. We were supposed to shift the balance of play, but that's exactly where we failed.

From the start, in how we pressed and how we applied pressure, we were constantly outnumbered 3v2 in midfield. That's tough against a side like Spain. Fabián and Rodri had all the time they needed to play.

We lacked communication in pressing – we should have gone man-for-man, forced them to run, because they're a team that doesn't like moving without the ball. And even when we won it back, our first passes and first touches in the build-up were nowhere near semi-final standard. When you put all that together, it ends in defeat."

On the feeling

"Like everyone else, hugely disappointed. Reaching the final was a dream – giving our country that 50% chance to make history… Now we have to hold our heads up. The disappointment is too great to put into words.

We'll have to pick ourselves up. Now we go on holiday, then start again. Football waits for no one. There are more club and international challenges ahead."

Source: RMC Sport