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Rayan Cherki could not conceal his irritation after France’s 2-0 loss to Spain in the World Cup semi-final. The Manchester City midfielder snapped back at journalists when asked about Lucas Digne’s performance, as the left-back endured a night to forget in Dallas.

Cherki stands up for Digne after costly error

Didier Deschamps’ French side saw their World Cup dream end as Spain delivered a clinical display in the semi-final. The breakthrough came early in the first half when Lucas Digne fouled Lamine Yamal inside the penalty area, conceding a spot-kick that Mikel Oyarzabal converted with confidence. Spain maintained control, and Pedro Porro sealed the result with a second-half goal, completing a 2-0 victory. After the match, Cherki faced questions about Digne’s mindset at half-time — a query that drew a fiery response from the Manchester City player.

“What do you expect me to say? That he was crying, that we forced his head down? No,” Cherki fired back. “Mistakes happen in football. We have to support him, and he must stay with us. We were united. At half-time, we stuck together.”

Spain’s second goal proved decisive

Cherki highlighted that Spain’s second goal effectively ended France’s hopes of a comeback. “We knew the second goal would be vital because in a match like this, at 1-1, defending becomes incredibly difficult. But at 2-0, it’s a completely different game. The disappointment today is massive,” he remarked.

Cherki, who entered the pitch in the 72nd minute when the contest was already beyond reach, also showed visible frustration when asked about his limited playing time. When a reporter asked if he wished to have been introduced earlier, he curtly replied, “What do you think?” before walking away from the interview.

‘We lost to ourselves’

Speaking candidly after the defeat, Cherki offered a harsh evaluation of France’s overall performance. “It’s a huge disappointment… because today, we lost to ourselves,” he said. “We didn’t lose to the referee, we didn’t lose to Spain — we lost to ourselves. Everyone knows we were a formidable side. The only team that could knock us out was us. And that’s exactly what happened. We were beaten technically, tactically, and in the duels. It’s a very big disappointment today.”

Third-place play-off ahead

Despite the heartbreak of elimination, France must now regroup for their final match of the tournament. On Saturday in Miami, they will face the loser of the other semi-final between England and Argentina in the third-place play-off — a fixture that offers little comfort for a team that had aimed for the title. Nevertheless, for Cherki and his teammates, the target will be to end the campaign on a positive note.