Mbappe speaks to France fans and exposes the mistakes of the "Roosters" team
France captain Kylian Mbappe, 26, admitted that his team did not perform at the required level, expressing regret after the Roosters left the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the hands of Spain (0-2) on Tuesday in Arlington near Dallas, noting that he "did not show at the level he wanted in the match."
The French captain enumerated the negative points that his team showed against the Spanish team, which imposed its style throughout the match, and said in statements quoted by the French channel "M6": "I think we did not play the game we wanted, neither tactically nor technically, not even at the level of the overall performance. When you don't do what is required of you in the World Cup semi-finals, you will be penalized. The Spanish team stuck to their plan, they are a team that likes to possess the ball and impose the rhythm of the game."
Mbappe: We didn't give anything to qualify us for the World Cup final
The Roosters captain continued: "Our goal was to attack, but we didn't succeed. We made a lot of technical mistakes, we couldn't hurt them, we let them control the tempo of the game. When the Spanish team takes control of the game, it becomes more difficult, we had to change that balance of power, at the beginning of the game, and under pressure, we were always three against two, and Fabian Ruiz and Rodri had plenty of time to play. There was a lack of communication, we had to make them run. We made mistakes in that aspect."
"When we were getting the ball back, we weren't technically qualified for the World Cup semi-finals in terms of building attacks and passes, we didn't give all the necessary ingredients to get to the final," the Real Madrid star added, before expressing his frustration when talking about the end of France's World Cup campaign.
Mbappe confirmed the great disappointment felt by the whole team after the dream of a third title dissipated one game before the final, concluding in this regard: "Reaching the final was a dream for us, we wanted our country to continue to do that to write history, you have to win and lose with your head held high, I can't find the words to describe our disappointment, we have to hold our heads high, take a vacation, and then come back to learn and overcome these setbacks."
Paris police arrest 141 people
The streets of Paris witnessed a wave of arrests by local police there, on Tuesday night and early Wednesday, after the end of the match.
The Paris Police Directorate said on Wednesday that 141 people had been arrested in the past hours, according to a preliminary tally, mainly due to the use of projectiles and fireworks directed at security forces and emergency services who were present in the streets to secure fans who watched their teammates Kylian Mbappe leave the World Cup, and the dream of a third title after the 1998 and 2018 editions.
The source pointed out that no serious injuries were recorded after about 7,000 police and gendarmerie personnel were deployed in Paris and its environs on July 13 and 14, in anticipation of the possibility of the Roosters winning and qualifying for the final, which meant that noisy celebrations could have extended until the early hours of the morning, which happened on many previous occasions.
The French national team experienced difficult moments during the match against Spain in the golden square of the World Cup, after coach Didier Deschamps' men failed to outsmart the "La Roja" players, who had great control of the ball and possession, while Kylian Mbappe's teammates appeared unable to launch dangerous attacks, with the spaces closed and narrowed to Ousmane Dembele, Michael Ulisa and Barcola as well.