Mbappé questions tactics after France's World Cup semifinal exit

France's World Cup dreams were dashed as they fell 0-2 to Spain in the semifinal, a result that left coach Didier Deschamps questioning the officiating and acknowledging his team's technical inferiority. "We were inferior from a technical point of view. It's our fault," Deschamps stated, though he also raised concerns about the refereeing standards in such a high-stakes match.

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We were inferior from a technical point of view. It's our fault.

Deschamps, nearing the end of his tenure as coach, reflected on the team's devastation but urged realism. He noted Spain's complete control of the game, admitting they "showed something extra." The coach, who has managed a record number of World Cup matches for France, expressed immense disappointment but did not dwell on past successes, focusing instead on the immediate failure.

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But I will ask a question: is the referee at the standard of refereeing a semifinal? I will not answer that.

Adding to the post-match fallout, captain Kylian Mbappé's remarks to M6 appeared to subtly critique Deschamps' tactical decisions. Mbappé pointed to issues with midfield positioning and pressing, suggesting the team failed to execute the game plan effectively. "When you don't do what you need to do in a World Cup semifinal, you don't win," he stated, emphasizing Spain's adherence to their strategy and France's technical inaccuracies. The team now faces a third-place playoff, a stark contrast to their pre-tournament expectations.

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But the main reason is that we were simply not up to expectations, with some technical errors, passes that could have led to chances.