France striker admits Spain controlled the game and made them pay for errors in the semifinal in Dallas.
Published On 15 Jul 2026
French captain Kylian Mbappe has rued his team’s tactical and technical errors as Les Bleus missed out on a place in the World Cup final following a 0-2 defeat to Spain in Dallas.
Speaking after the match on Tuesday, Mbappe – who was aiming for a third straight World Cup final appearance – revealed his frustration at France’s performance in the game.
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“I don’t think we played the match we wanted to play – whether tactically, technically, or in terms of our overall performance level,” Mbappe told French broadcaster M6.
“And when you don’t do what you’re supposed to do in a World Cup semifinal, you don’t win.
“Our goal was to press them high up the pitch to prevent them from settling into that slow, controlled rhythm – because when it comes to controlling the game, they are better than us. We failed to do that,” the Real Madrid star added.
Mbappe had emerged as one of the stars of the tournament during France’s run to the last four, rattling in eight goals at the tip of a free-scoring attack that delighted fans worldwide.
But the 27-year-old’s dreams of another World Cup final appearance ended abruptly as Spain outplayed Les Bleus at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
‘Immense disappointment’
Mbappe pinpointed the crux of the problem in midfield, where France’s duo of Adrien Rabiot and Aurelien Tchouameni rapidly found themselves overrun by Spain’s triumvirate of Rodri, Dani Olmo and Fabian Ruiz.
“We kept finding ourselves outnumbered 3-on-2 in midfield,” Mbappe said. “And against Spain, that’s a real problem… When you put it all together, the result is a defeat. It’s a huge disappointment.”
Mbappe said France’s crestfallen squad were determined to bounce back after digesting the lessons of the loss.
“It was a dream for us to reach the final, to give our country the chance to keep dreaming and to make history,” he said.
“Now, it is something we have to face with our heads held high. I believe that when you win, you win with your head held high; so when you lose, you have to lose with your head held high, too.
“But right now, there is immense disappointment. I find it hard to put into words just how disappointed the squad and I are.
“Yet, even if it might seem a bit robotic at times, we have to pick ourselves up, go on vacation, and move on to the next chapter. Because football waits for no one. We have to start over, put this failure behind us, and learn from it.”
