The French media have lambasted their team after a limp 2-0 defeat by Spain in the World Cup 2026 semi-finals. Les Bleus were thoroughly outplayed in Dallas on Tuesday night as a penalty from Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro's fine effort secured La Roja's progression into Sunday's final, where England or Argentina will await.
Brutal ratings from L'Equipe
After entering the game as heavy favourites, French publications such as L'Equipe, Ouest France and Le Parisien poured scorn on the team's efforts. L'Equipe are known for their tough player ratings and made no exception for Didier Deschamps' men. Lucas Digne, who conceded the first-half penalty for a foul on Lamine Yamal, was given a two by the newspaper. Star attackers Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembele were also given that low mark for ineffectual displays.
Kylian Mbappe did not fare much better, receiving a three - as did midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni. The highest score among the France players was five, awarded to Adrien Rabiot, Dayot Upamecano and Jules Kounde.
Harsh headlines
L'Equipe's back page showed a picture of Mbappe looking to the heavens, accompanied by the headline 'Etoile Filante' - meaning 'Shooting Star'. Le Parisien were more direct, describing the match as 'A Rude Awakening'. The response from both publications indicates the level of shock in France at such a meek exit. Les Bleus, after confident displays in the knockouts against Morocco, Paraguay and Sweden, were expected to beat Spain.
Deschamps' last game as manager after 14 years will now come on Saturday evening in the third-place play-off in Miami.
Criticism of attack and Digne
Much of the criticism from L'Equipe was reserved for Digne and France's formerly scintillating attack, who were limited to just three shots on target in the game. Their first shot on goal was in the 81st minute. On Digne, L'Equipe said: "Between his uncontrolled header and his foul on Lamine Yamal, he made two mistakes that resulted in a penalty." The Aston Villa defender - who is rumoured to be close to a £10million transfer to Paris Saint-Germain - kicked Yamal in the penalty box when trying to clear his own header.
Concerning Dembele, L'Equipe added: "Initially on the right, then moved centrally after half an hour, nothing helped: the Ballon d'Or winner did almost everything wrong. As the minutes ticked by, he gradually faded until he became almost invisible. A huge disappointment." On Olise, they wrote: "[Having] risen so high in previous matches, he fell very low this time."
Mbappe takes responsibility
Mbappe, who scored one higher than both Digne and Dembele, was described by L'Equipe as "isolated". The captain and all-time leading goalscorer for France (64) was happy to shoulder the blame for the loss in a post-match interview. Speaking to Fox, he said: "At the end of the day, you take all the glory when you win. When you don't win, you have to... to take s**t. At the end it's part of the game. It's part of my game, it's part of my life." Mbappe added: "As a captain, I have to take all the responsibility, and I have no problem with that."
