Mbappe: A Huge Disappointment

Arlington - AFP: France captain Kylian Mbappé expressed his disappointment after his country’s elimination from the World Cup semifinals by Spain (0-2) in Arlington, near Dallas, confirming that he “did not deliver the performance he wanted to.”

Speaking to M6 channel, the French striker said: “I think we did not deliver the match we wanted, whether tactically, technically, or in terms of the overall performance we presented. And when you do not deliver what you are expected to deliver in a World Cup semifinal, you do not win.”

He acknowledged a “huge sense of disappointment,” noting that Les Bleus committed “too many technical errors” against Spain, which prevented them from “inflicting damage at the moments when they should have.”

He added: “Spain stuck to their plan and the identity they are known for; they are a team that likes to possess the ball and control the tempo of the match. Our goal was to press them high to prevent them from imposing that rhythm, because they are better than us at controlling the game. But we failed to do that.”

He continued: “Technically, the first passes and the first touches were not at the level befitting a World Cup semifinal (...) And if we are objective, we did not provide all the necessary elements to reach the final.”