In Arlington, Texas, Kylian Mbappé experienced firsthand the disappointment as France failed to secure a spot in a third straight World Cup final. France now faces a third-place match, while Mbappé continues to vie for the Golden Boot against Lionel Messi of Argentina.
Despite being one of the most prominent figures in this year’s World Cup, Mbappé struggled to contribute offensively during France’s 2-0 defeat to Spain in the semifinals. During the tournament, both Mbappé and Messi have scored eight goals each. Holding the first tiebreaker with three assists to Messi’s two, Mbappé aims to win the Golden Boot once more, after emerging victorious in the last World Cup in Qatar.
Messi and defending champions Argentina will face England in another semifinal. France now prepares to play in the third-place game on Saturday in Miami Gardens, Florida, against the loser of the other semifinal. Spain will face the winner in East Rutherford, New Jersey, for the finals.
“At the end of the day, you take all the glory when you win,” said Mbappé. “When you don’t win … it’s part of the game. As the captain, I have to take all the responsibility, and I have no problem with that. We wanted to go to the final. We didn’t go.”
During the first half against Spain, Mbappé had only 15 touches—the fewest of any forward. A key moment came when he tried to convince referee Ivan Barton to overturn the penalty that resulted in Spain’s first goal. The foul, committed by Lucas Digne on young Lamine Yamal, held firm, and Mikel Oyarzabal capitalized with a successful penalty kick in the 22nd minute, securing Spain’s lead.
Mbappé’s best opportunity arose in the 67th minute. His shot, deflected by Spain defender Marc Cucurella, narrowly missed the target. By then, Spain had already established a two-goal advantage.
“It’s a team who loves to have control of the game, control of the ball,” said Mbappé, acknowledging Spain’s dominance. “That’s what we let them do. We let the midfield too much time to play, and at the end of the day, they had quality to play. It’s difficult when you don’t change the play of Spain. We weren’t at the level to go to the final.”
At 27, Mbappé received a yellow card in the 86th minute after clashing with Spain’s goalkeeper, Unai Simón. This event occurred after Mbappé began the match against Spain, having exited earlier in France’s quarterfinal victory over Morocco, where he contributed his eighth goal of the tournament.
During the previous World Cup in Qatar, Mbappé also scored eight goals, although France succumbed in a penalty shootout to Messi and Argentina in the final. Notably, France had earlier triumphed over Croatia to capture the World Cup in Russia eight years ago.
Spain’s midfielder, Rodri, acknowledged France’s threat, stating, “They can punish you at every single moment, so I think the focus in every single minute was key in this game. Unbelievable effort by everyone.”
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