Mbappe Labels France 'Sloppy' After Semi-Final Defeat

Kylian Mbappe delivered a frank verdict on France's World Cup semi-final defeat on Tuesday, admitting Les Bleus were too "sloppy" as Spain claimed a comfortable 2-0 victory in Arlington, Texas.

The France captain said tactical shortcomings and poor execution prevented his side from reaching a third straight World Cup final. Spain dominated midfield throughout the contest, with Rodri and Fabian Ruiz enjoying time and space to dictate play.

"We were three against two in midfield and against Spain, that's hard," Mbappe said. "Fabian and Rodri had plenty of time to play. There was a lack of communication in our press. I think we should have gone man-to-man and forced them to run with us."

France had won all six of its previous matches and scored 16 goals en route to the semi-finals, but struggled to threaten Spain. Mikel Oyarzabal opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 22nd minute after Lucas Digne fouled Lamine Yamal, before Pedro Porro doubled Spain's lead just before the hour mark.

Mbappe said France had intended to press high and stop Spain from settling into its possession-based game, but the European champions repeatedly bypassed the pressure and quickly regained control whenever France won the ball.

"We didn't play the game we wanted, technically or tactically," Mbappe said. "When you don't do what you have to do in a World Cup semi-final, you don't win."

The Real Madrid forward also criticised his team's quality in possession, saying poor touches and wasted opportunities prevented France from making the most of promising situations.

"We were too sloppy technically," Mbappe said. "We could not hurt them when we had the chance."

Coach Didier Deschamps attempted to change the game by replacing Adrien Rabiot at half-time and later introducing Desire Doue and Rayan Cherki, but the substitutions failed to disrupt Spain's dominance. Mbappe, who had scored eight goals before the match, was unable to add to his tally.

He remains level with Argentina captain Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot. Mbappe also finished with eight goals at the 2022 World Cup, where France lost to Argentina in the final on penalties.

"As the captain, I have to take full responsibility, and I have no problem with that," Mbappe said. "We wanted to reach the final, but we didn't."

France will take on the loser of Wednesday's Argentina-England semi-final in Saturday's third-place playoff in Miami Gardens, Florida.