Mbappé Accepts Responsibility After France’s World Cup Semifinal Exit

Arlington, MINA – France captain Kylian Mbappé accepted responsibility for his team’s 2-0 defeat to Spain in the FIFA World Cup 2026 semifinal on Tuesday, acknowledging that Les Bleus failed to carry out their tactical plan and did not deserve a place in the final.

Speaking after France’s elimination, Mbappé said the team’s strategy had been to press Spain aggressively and disrupt its possession-based game but admitted the players failed to execute the plan.

“We wanted to press them man-to-man and stop them from controlling the game,” Mbappé said, Khaama Press reported. “But we gave Spain’s midfield too much space, and they had the quality to take advantage of it.”

Spain took the lead through Mikel Oyarzabal’s first-half penalty before Pedro Porro doubled the advantage after the break, securing a 2-0 victory and a place in Sunday’s World Cup final.

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“When you can’t disrupt Spain’s game, it becomes very difficult,” Mbappé said. “The penalty allowed them to take control, then they scored a second goal. We simply weren’t good enough to reach the final.”

The France captain said he accepted responsibility for the defeat and acknowledged the disappointment of falling short of another World Cup final.

“When you win, you receive the praise. When you lose, you have to accept responsibility,” he said. “That’s football. As captain, I take full responsibility. We wanted to reach the final, but we failed, and we have to accept the criticism.”

Mbappé also paid tribute to head coach Didier Deschamps, whose final match in charge of France will be Saturday’s third-place playoff after announcing he will step down following the tournament.

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“Nothing changes about Didier’s place in this team or in French football,” Mbappé said. “He deserves our best performance. We owe it to him and to our supporters to finish the tournament by winning third place.”

France will face the loser of the Argentina-England semifinal in Saturday’s third-place playoff, while Spain advanced to the World Cup final after extending its unbeaten run to 37 matches. []

Mi’raj News Agency (MIINA)

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