Disappointed Kylian Mbappe reacts after France's semi-final exit against Spain

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France captain Kylian Mbappe admitted his side fell short of the standards required in a FIFA World Cup semi-final after a 2-0 defeat to Spain.

The 2010 champions put on a disciplined performance to secure a spot in the FIFA World Cup final for just the second time ever, thanks to a first-half penalty from Mikel Oyarzabal and a second-half goal by Pedro Porro. 

Analysing the loss, Mbappe pointed out that France were outplayed both tactically and technically by a Spanish midfield led by Rodri and Fabian Ruiz.

“We were three against two in midfield, and against Spain, that’s hard. Fabian and Rodri had plenty of time to play. There was a lack of communication in the press. I think we should have done a man-to-man press and forced them to run with us.” Mbappe said.

“We didn’t play the game we wanted, technically, tactically. When you don’t do what you have to do in a World Cup semifinal, you don’t win,” the France skipper added.

Furthermore, Mbappe was critical of how his team handled the ball, adding that careless passing in the final third wasted a few openings for France.

“We were too sloppy technically. We could not hurt them when we could have,” he said.

Clinical Spain book a place in the World Cup final

Spain opened the scoring in the 22nd minute when Lamine Yamal earned a penalty, which Mikel Oyarzabal dispatched. Things got tougher for manager Didier Deschamps when centre-back William Saliba had to leave the pitch due to an injury right before the interval.

Spain doubled their lead just past the hour mark when Pedro Porro combined with Dani Olmo before slipping a finish past Mike Maignan.

France tried to claw their way back with late attempts from Aurelien Tchouameni and Mbappe, but the resilient Spanish defence stood strong to secure their sixth clean sheet in seven tournament outings. 

Taking ownership of the team’s performance, the 27-year-old captain emphasised that the exit was a shared heartbreak.

“As the captain, I have to take all the responsibility, and I have no problem with that. We wanted to go to the final. We didn’t go,” he concluded.

France will now face the losing side of the second semifinal between England and Argentina in Saturday’s third-place playoff.

(With inputs from ANI)

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