Mbappé takes the blame
French forward Kylian Mbappé will not play in his third consecutive World Cup final. His team lost 2-0 to Spain in the semifinals of the tournament.
“As captain, I have to take full responsibility. I have no problem with that,” Mbappé declared. “We wanted to go to the final and we didn’t make it.”
Mbappé remains tied with Lionel Messi in the fight for the Golden Boot, with eight goals each. Messi and Argentina face England in the other semifinal.
“In the end, you get all the glory when you win. When you don’t win… it’s part of the game,” added the Frenchman.
France will face the loser of that matchup in the third-place match on Saturday in Miami Gardens, Florida. Spain will play the final in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Mbappé had little influence on the match. In the first half he registered only 15 touches, the fewest among the attackers. His most notable play was trying to convince the referee to annul the penalty that led to the first Spanish goal.
His best chance came in the 67th minute, when his shot deflected off defender Marc Cucurella and went just wide. By then, France was already losing 2-0.
“Spain is a team that loves control of the game and the ball. That’s what we allowed them to do. We gave the midfield too much time to play and, in the end, they had the quality to do it. Against Spain, it’s difficult when you don’t change their game. We weren’t at the level that would allow us to reach the final,” Mbappé explained.
The 27-year-old Frenchman received a yellow card in the 86th minute after colliding with Spanish goalkeeper Unai Simón.
Mbappé started in the semifinal after being substituted in the quarterfinals against Morocco, where he scored his eighth goal of the tournament. Four years earlier, in Qatar, he also scored eight goals, although France lost the final to Argentina on penalties.
