French Media Reaction
Following their elimination from the World Cup semi-finals by Spain, the France national team has faced significant criticism from French media outlets. Despite being considered among the favourites for a third title, Les Bleus were unable to overcome an organised Spanish side. Mikel Oyarzabal scored a penalty, and Pedro Porro added a second goal, while France’s attack was effectively neutralised.
The national press expressed strong disappointment with France’s performance. L’Equipe featured a picture of Kylian Mbappe looking dejected on its front page with the headline “Fleeting star.” Similarly, Le Parisien used an image of Mbappe under the headline “Fallen from a height,” noting that “Trailing from half-time, Les Bleus never found the key to unlocking the Spanish powerhouse.” Le Figaro stated, “Spain put an end to Les Bleus’ dream,” also with an image of Mbappe, while Ouest France described it as “the end of the American Dream,” showing the striker covering his face.
Player Ratings and Criticism
Several players received particularly harsh assessments from the French press. L’Equipe notably gave three players a rating of two out of 10. These players were Bayern Munich‘s Michael Olise, Aston Villa‘s Lucas Digne, and Paris St-Germain striker Ousmane Dembele.
Dembele was described as “a huge disappointment” by L’Equipe, which commented that “the Ballon d’Or winner did almost everything wrong” and “gradually faded until he became almost invisible.” Digne was criticised for an “uncontrolled header and his foul on Lamine Yamal,” with the publication highlighting his two mistakes that led to a penalty. Olise, despite having performed well in previous matches, was noted to have “fallen very low this time.”
Captain and star striker Mbappe received a rating of three, with the observation that “He often seemed very isolated and tried to do everything himself, without success.”
Mbappe’s Reflection on the Match
Mbappe himself acknowledged the team’s shortcomings, stating after the match that there were “too many technical errors.” He expressed frustration, saying, “We didn’t know how to hurt them when we needed to. It was up to us to shift the balance of power, and that’s where we failed.”
Speaking to French broadcaster M6, Mbappe further elaborated on the team’s performance, noting, “I don’t think we played the match we wanted to play – whether tactically, technically, or in terms of our overall performance level.” He emphasised that failing to perform as expected in a World Cup semi-final leads to defeat. The team’s goal to press high and disrupt Spain’s controlled rhythm was not achieved, which Mbappe identified as a key failure.
Mbappe also pointed to issues in midfield, where France’s duo of Adrien Rabiot and Aurelien Tchouameni were often outnumbered by Spain’s Rodri, Dani Olmo, and Fabian Ruiz. He described this as a significant problem against Spain, contributing to the overall defeat. Despite the “immense disappointment,” Mbappe stressed the importance of the squad learning from the loss and moving forward, as “football waits for no one.” Spain will now face either England or Argentina in Sunday’s final, following their semi-final victory in Dallas.
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Source: independent.co.uk
Dominic Hayes is the Sports News Writer at NewsGB, covering rugby union, golf and boxing with five years of reporting experience. He started on a north-east sports desk. He holds a degree in Journalism from Teesside University and completed an NCTJ diploma. Based in Middlesbrough, he follows pro golf and amateur boxing. “Fast and accurate is the only standard worth keeping.”
