Coach Denies Players Rest After World Cup Exit

French national football team players were denied a requested night off in Miami following their painful 0-2 World Cup semifinal defeat to Spain. Coach Didier Deschamps rejected the players' plea for a few hours away from football.

Captain Kylian Mbappé and his teammates reportedly asked Deschamps for a break to decompress after the loss. However, the 57-year-old coach insisted on maintaining focus ahead of the third-place playoff match against England.

Deschamps aims to conclude his 14-year mandate with a victory. Zinedine Zidane is widely expected to succeed him after the match for third place. Deschamps acknowledged the team's disappointment but stressed the need to accept the reality of facing a strong Spanish side.

"The disappointment is proportional to our ambitions, but we must accept the facts," Deschamps stated. "We ran into a very high-quality Spanish team. We did not achieve the result we wanted, but there is another important match ahead of us. This is not a friendly match."

The coach emphasized the players' responsibility to the national team jersey and the fans. He expects their complete concentration on the game against England, even though the bronze medal match cannot erase the sting of the semifinal loss. France, who won the World Cup in 2018 under Deschamps, will compete for third place.

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The disappointment is proportional to our ambitions, but we must accept the facts. We ran into a very high-quality Spanish team. We did not achieve the result we wanted, but there is another important match ahead of us. This is not a friendly match.