Michael Olise was in tears in the dressing room and blamed himself after France lost 6-4 to England in the World Cup bronze-medal match in Miami, according to L'Equipe. The Bayern Munich winger missed two clear chances in the second half as England secured victory.
Match overview
Declan Rice opened the scoring after three minutes, and Ezri Konsa doubled England's lead in the 18th minute. Bukayo Saka scored twice before halftime to make it 4-0. France fought back after the restart with Kylian Mbappe scoring twice, either side of a Bradley Barcola goal, to become the all-time World Cup top scorer with 22 goals, surpassing Lionel Messi. Saka completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot, and Ousmane Dembele and Jude Bellingham traded late goals. Bellingham's 98th-minute strike was his seventh of the tournament, a record for an Englishman at a single World Cup.
Olise's anguish
Olise, who finished the tournament without a goal in eight appearances but with seven assists (the most by any player in a single World Cup in 60 years), was inconsolable after the match. L'Equipe reported that he 'broke down in tears' and 'blamed himself' for the defeat.
Rabiot's criticism
Adrien Rabiot expressed frustration with some teammates, saying: 'We started the first half in a rather shameful way. I saw behaviour from some players that I've never seen before.' He added: 'It's a bit disappointing, because it was the last match to do well in this competition.' Rabiot revealed that at halftime, trailing 4-0, the team talked about showing pride, and the second-half performance was better, but the first-half behaviour was 'unacceptable.'
Deschamps takes responsibility
Outgoing coach Didier Deschamps, who steps down after the World Cup, said: 'It was my mistake. I should have made choices from the start of the match, and perhaps things would have gone better afterward.' He refused to single out players for criticism, adding: 'Obviously, there are some players who could have done better. I wish them all the best.'
Final details
The World Cup final between Spain and Argentina takes place on Sunday, July 19 at 8pm BST at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
