Kylian Mbappe was left disappointed as France were completely outplayed by Spain in their 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-final fixture. The reigning European champions were too hot to handle, cruising to a 2-0 victory.
Spain’s midfield was pivotal throughout the game, with midfield general Rodri dictating the tempo alongside Fabian Ruiz and Dani Olmo. They often outnumbered Aurelien Tchouameni and Adrien Rabiot in the middle of the park.
Speaking to ESPN after the match, Mbappe was brutally honest, pointing out that France’s game plan didn’t work out and they were outplayed by Spain.
“We were three against two in midfield and against Spain, that’s hard,” he said.
“Fabian [Ruiz] and Rodri had plenty of time to play. There was a lack of communication on the press. I think we should have done man-to-man press and force them to run with us.”
Spain did allow France to play in its usual fast, attacking tempo, but slowed down possession. France’s approach to press high didn’t work, leaving gaps everywhere. Mbappe also failed to take a shot on target for only the second time in his last 15 World Cup appearances, having done so against England in the 2022 finals.
“We didn’t play the game we wanted, technically, tactically,” he said.
“When you don’t do what you have to do in a World Cup semifinal, you don’t win. Spain respected their game plan and what the team usually does. They like to control the ball and the tempo. Our plan was to press them high so they could not install their rhythm.
“Because they are better than us at controlling a game. We didn’t manage to do it. We were too sloppy technically. We could not hurt them when we could have.
“Even when we recovered the ball, our first touches were not good enough. That gives a defeat. It is a huge disappointment. But if we are objective, we didn’t put all the ingredients to go to the final,” he added.
For the Spaniards, Mikel Oyarzabal scored from the penalty spot after Lamine Yamal drew a foul. Meanwhile, Pedro Porro added another as Spain reached its second World Cup final.
Spain has now lost only two of their past 11 fixtures against France in all competitions, and this is their third straight victory. The last wins came at the semi-finals of a tournament (Euro 2024 and 2024-25 Nations League).
