French journalists have heavily criticised the national team after their World Cup campaign ended with a 6-4 defeat to England in the bronze-medal match on Saturday night. The loss marked a disappointing close to Didier Deschamps' tenure as head coach, with media outlets lambasting the team's performance.
Media Reaction to Defeat
RMC Sport pundit Daniel Riolo praised England's resilience following their semi-final loss to Argentina, contrasting it with France's inability to recover. "What the English suffered in terms of defeat against Argentina is much harder than what the French suffered," Riolo said on After Foot. "The French were completely outclassed against Spain, they were eaten alive. The English lost in the last minute. If there was one team that should have been stunned, it was England! They played the first half with their B team. Bellingham didn't start. Kane didn't play. That excuse doesn't work. I don't accept it."
Rayan Cherki Under Fire
Manchester City forward Rayan Cherki faced particular criticism after a poor performance. Handed a rare start, he was substituted at half-time following an apparent argument with Deschamps during a drinks break. Both L'Equipe and RMC rated him 2/10, while Ouest-France gave him 3/10. Le Parisien described him as 'disappointing'.
Journalist Florent Gautreau told After Foot: "I think he had the right attitude within the group; he was a bit of a mascot. I'm not going to judge Cherki on his attitude. He just has a problem with the coach. What bothers me is that he's never been good. He comes on, he's not good; he starts, he's not good. You shouldn't think that with Zidane, even if he appreciates this type of player, he'll have some kind of immunity."
World Cup Disappointment
France entered the tournament as favourites but suffered a shock semi-final defeat to Spain. The loss to England in the third-place play-off compounded their disappointment, ending Deschamps' decorated spell in charge on a sour note.
