French media reacts to World Cup semi-final loss against Spain

Following France's 2-0 defeat to Spain in the World Cup semi-final, French media delivered a critical evaluation of the national team's performance. The match, held in Dallas, saw France struggle against the European champions, with Mikel Oyarzabal scoring a penalty and Pedro Porro adding a second goal. The highly regarded French attacking line failed to make an impact, drawing disappointment from fans and analysts alike.

L'Equipe prominently featured an image of Kylian Mbappe, labelling him a 'fallen star' and describing the team as 'powerless' against Spain. Their player ratings reflected this sentiment, with no player scoring above 5/10. Lucas Digne received a lowly 2/10 for conceding the penalty, while Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise also scored poorly after ineffective performances. Mbappe and head coach Didier Deschamps were both rated 3/10.

Other French publications echoed the sentiment of disappointment. Le Parisien's headline read 'rude awakening', stating that the team struggled to penetrate the Spanish defence. Corse Martin used the term for 'disappointment' to describe the match, while Le Figaro noted that Spain 'taught France a lesson'. Ouest France referred to the loss as the 'end of the American dream', highlighting the gravity of the defeat.

In the wake of the match, midfielder Rayan Cherki expressed his feelings of disappointment, stating that the team lost to themselves rather than to Spain or the referee. He acknowledged the team's potential but lamented their inability to perform at their usual level. Deschamps also commented on the match, admitting that the team fell short and made more technical errors than in previous games, ultimately leading to their exit from the tournament.

via Sky Sports