France captain Kylian Mbappe says his team didn’t showcase enough technical qualities befitting of a World Cup semifinal to qualify to the final.
He made this comment in a post-game presser after France lost 2-0 to Spain in the semifinals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Dallas.
Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro scored in the win that had Spain dominate the 2018 World Champions marking the third competition in a row that France have lost to Spain following similar results in the 2024 European Championship and 2025 UEFA Nations League.
Speaking after the game, Mbappe expressed his disappointment and delivered a technical review of the loss by stating,
“There was a lack of communication and coordination during the pressing process… Against a team like Spain, we should have played man-to-man and forced them to run with us, because they don’t like running without the ball.”
“So, we got that wrong first. ـــــ And even when we recovered the balls in advanced areas, the first touches and first passes lacked technical precision, and weren’t up to the level befitting a World Cup semi-final.”
“It’s a huge disappointment, but if we’re realistic, we didn’t deliver the sufficient qualities to reach the final today.”
