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Mbappe Speaks Out After Semi-Final Defeat: After the 2-0 defeat to Spain in the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup 2026, France captain Kylian Mbappe openly expressed his views on the team’s performance. He admitted that France could neither play at its level strategically nor technically, due to which the team could not fulfill its dream of reaching the World Cup final for the third consecutive time.

Mbappe, who scored 8 goals in the tournament, gave his statement after the match and said, ‘We did not play the match as we wanted to play. Strategy, technology and performance, we lagged behind in every respect. If you don’t give your best in the World Cup semi-finals, it becomes difficult to win.’

France’s plan failed

Mbappe said that France’s plan was to put pressure on Spain from the beginning, but the team failed to do so. He said, ‘We wanted to press Spain high from the beginning so that they could not play their favorite possession game. But we were not successful in this and they controlled the pace of the entire match as per their own.’

He cited the midfield battle as the biggest reason for the defeat. According to him, Spain’s trio of Rodri, Dani Olmo and Fabian Ruiz put complete pressure on France’s Adrien Rabio and Aurelien Chuameni.

Must accept defeat with dignity – mbappe

Kylian Mbappe said, ‘We were constantly stuck in a 3-2 position in midfield. This becomes a big problem against a team like Spain. When this happens, you lose control over the match and ultimately lose.’

He admitted that this defeat is very disappointing for the entire team. ‘Our dream was to reach the final and give our country a chance to win the World Cup again. But now we have to accept this defeat. If you keep your head high while winning, then even if you lose, you should accept defeat with respect.’

We will have to learn from this defeat and move forward – Mbappe

Mbappe further said that the team will now have to come out of this disappointment. ‘The entire team is extremely disappointed at this time and it is difficult to express this pain in words. But football waits for no one. We have to make a fresh start again after the holidays, learn from this defeat and move forward.’

France’s dream broken for the third time

With the defeat against Spain, France’s dream of playing a third consecutive World Cup final was shattered, while Spain took another big step towards becoming world champion for the second time.