France arrived in the Fifa World Cup semi-finals hailed as the most scintillating attacking force to grace the global tournament since Brazil’s fabled 1982 side.
But like Zico, Éder, Falcão and Sócrates before them, Kylian Mbappé and company found out the hard way that dazzling football is no guarantee of survival.
A hitherto sparkling French campaign full of offensive pyrotechnics fizzled out like a dud Bastille Day firework in a painful 2-0 defeat on Tuesday night — a loss that is likely to tarnish the managerial legacy of head coach Didier Deschamps.
Between them, Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise, Bradley Barcola and Désiré Doué had helped France rattle in 16 goals in six matches en route to the semi-final. Yet, in a comprehensive Spanish masterclass at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, it took France’s vaunted attacking arsenal more than 75 minutes to even register a single shot on target.
By that stage, Spain were on cruise control, leading 2-0 as Les Bleus grappled with the grim realisation that an arsenal is only as potent as its ammunition. With the supply lines from midfield utterly severed by Spain’s talented triumvirate of Rodri, Dani Olmo and Fabián Ruiz, France were left firing blanks.
“We kept finding ourselves outnumbered three-on-two in midfield,” Mbappé admitted. “And against Spain, that’s a real problem. When you put it all together, the result is a defeat. It’s a huge disappointment.
“I don’t think we played the match we wanted to play — whether tactically, technically, or in terms of our overall performance level,” the captain added. “And when you don’t do what you’re supposed to do in a World Cup semi-final, you don’t win.”
Deschamps, meanwhile, will depart his position as France manager reflecting on a bitterly disappointing end to a five-week campaign that had promised to culminate in crowning glory. It will also leave many wondering how the veteran tactician failed to construct a viable defensive game plan to counter Spain’s renowned passing carousel.
‘Proud of Everything’
Having already masterminded one World Cup victory in 2018 and guided France to within a penalty shoot-out of retaining it in 2022, a triumphant send-off in New Jersey’s final had looked there for the taking.
“It is not really important on a personal level whether I leave this competition in the semi-final or the final,” Deschamps insisted. “It is not the time to talk about the future. I am extremely happy and very proud of everything we’ve achieved with the national team.
“I was lucky as a player to enjoy big moments. Today is not such a moment, but I think we must accept it without forgetting everything that we’ve experienced together so far.”
Mbappé, meanwhile, was left reflecting on a dream cut short. A victory on Tuesday would have seen the 27-year-old superstar become only the second player in history, after Brazil legend Cafu, to grace three World Cup finals.
Instead, the Real Madrid forward will head to Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium with his teammates to contest the dreaded third-place play-off on Saturday.
But Mbappé sounded a defiant note as France exited the title race, insisting a squad brimming with youth and talent has the capacity to rise again with the Euro 2028 tournament on the horizon.
“It was a dream for us to reach the final, to give our country the chance to keep dreaming and to make history,” he said. “Now, it is something we have to face with our heads held high. I believe that when you win, you do so with your head held high; so when you lose, you must lose with your head held high, too.
“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.”
