Munich: France captain Kylian Mbappe said his side “didn’t do enough” in Tuesday’s 2-1 semi-final loss to Spain and admitted he was disappointed after underperforming at Euro 2024.
“We didn’t do enough to get to the final,” Mbappe told reporters. “They (Spain) played better than us, they deserved to go to the final and we are going home.”
Mbappe set up Randal Kolo Muani’s ninth-minute opener, but Spain hit back to take the lead with two strikes in four minutes midway through the first half.
“I had the ambition of becoming European champion. I had the goal of having a good Euros. I did neither. It’s a disappointment,” said Mbappe.
France scored just four goals at the tournament, with Mbappe’s only strike coming from the penalty spot.
The haul was in stark contrast to France’s run to the World Cup final in Qatar, where Mbappe scored eight of Les Bleus’ 16 goals.
Mbappe had a late chance to level the scores when he cut inside from the left flank with just goalkeeper Unai Simon to beat, but blasted over the bar.
“I got past the defender and it went well. Afterwards, I thought I just have to score or at the very least get it on target.
“It went over the bar. That’s the harsh reality of football. 2-1 and we’re going home.”
The France captain had played in a protective mask after breaking his nose in the opening match against Austria, but removed it for the semi-final, saying he was “fed up”.
“I couldn’t see well with it. I spoke to the doctor to see if I could play without it.
“He told me to make the decision like a man. And there you go, I played without it and I don’t regret it.”
France coach Didier Deschamps refused to point the finger at underperforming stars Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann.
“The responsibility is mine,” Deschamps told reporters when asked about the impact on his team of poor performances at the tournament from both France’s captain and vice-captain.
“Against a Spain team of that quality, you need to be at your very best. I am not looking for excuses, but when we began our preparation for the tournament we didn’t have Aurelien Tchouameni, Adrien Rabiot was injured, and (Dayot) Upamecano was not in the best shape.
“We dealt with the most pressing issues and tried to be as clinical as possible despite everything, but the step was maybe a bit too high for us even though we were lucky enough to open the scoring.”
'Control the game'
Kolo Muani’s goal was the first scored by a France player in open play at the tournament, but Spain hit back to equalise through Lamine Yamal before Dani Olmo struck what proved to be the winner.
“Spain control the game really well. We were not direct enough even if we kept pushing until the end,” Deschamps added after France lost a major tournament semi-final for the first time since Euro 96.
“I can’t reproach the players for not giving everything. They were not all at 100 per cent in this tournament for different reasons.”
