France failed physically, tactically against Spain –Deschamps
Coach of the French national team, Didier Deschamps has conceded that his team lost physically and tactically in the FIFA 2026 World Cup semifinal game against Spain.
The former France international who transited into coaching after retiring from football said that his team were a step short physically and made too many technical errors in the 2-0 loss to Spain.
Deschamps acknowledged that Spain deserved to win the game and he also gave them credit for controlling the midfield and breaking up French attacks.
“Spain’s team was very strong and proved it tonight. We fell slightly short of our usual level and made more technical mistakes than in previous matches. We were also one step behind physically,” he said at a press conference after the game.
During the keenly contested game, Spain successfully cut off the supply lines to the deadly trio of Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, and Michael Olise.
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The French game plan was also disrupted by an early booking for defensive midfielder Adrien Rabiot and an injury to defender William Saliba.
The tactical approach deployed by the Spanish team which led to a lack of attacking fluidity from the French team reportedly led to post-match frustration from captain Kylian Mbappé.
The Spanish scored the first goal of the game in the 22nd minute when Lamine Yamal was fouled inside the penalty area by Lucas Digne and Mikel Oyarzabal stepped up and coolly converted a resulting penalty kick past goalkeeper Mike Maignan.
Spain doubled the lead in the 58th minute of the game when Pedro Porro combined well with Dani Olmo to score from a good team move.
The 2-0 defeat in Dallas, Texas ended France’s hopes of reaching a third consecutive World Cup final.
