France captain Kylian Mbappe did not mince his words as Les Bleus were knocked out of the World Cup final race with a 0-2 defeat against Spain at the penultimate hurdle. Spain looked the better side right from the start of the game, producing the sort of technical football that nullified France’s biggest assets on the pitch and exposed their primary weaknesses. Mbappe, speaking to the media after the match, did not hesitate to admit that his teammates were not up to the task against the reigning European champions on the day.

“I don’t think we played the match we wanted to play — whether tactically, technically, or in terms of our overall performance level,” Mbappe said. “And when you don’t do what you are supposed to do in a World Cup semi-final, 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.”

Getting into the tactical details of the game, Mbappe said that France’s initial plan was to press high up the pitch, but Spain turned the tables by turning their press into a 3-on-2 situation in midfield. With the way France played, Mbappe had no qualms about admitting that the performance was not worthy of taking the team into the final.

“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. Our touches and movement were not worthy of a World Cup semi-final.”

“It was a dream for us to reach the final, to give our country the chance to keep dreaming and to make history,” he added.

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The 27-year-old, who has scored 8 goals in this tournament, said that he now plans to go on holiday with his head held high before the club season with Real Madrid begins.

“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 holiday, 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.”

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