I take full responsibility: Mbappe after WC semi-final exit

France captain Kylian Mbappe accepted full responsibility for his side's 2-0 defeat to Spain in the FIFA World Cup (WC) semi-final, admitting Les Bleus failed both tactically and technically as their bid for a third consecutive World Cup final came to an end.

Speaking after the match at Dallas Stadium, Mbappe acknowledged that France's pressing strategy collapsed, allowing Spain to dominate possession and dictate the tempo through midfielders Rodri and Fabian Ruiz.

"We had three players in midfield against their two, but Rodri and Fabian had too much time and space. Our pressing lacked communication. I think we should have gone man-to-man," Mbappe said.

France, who had scored 16 goals in their previous six matches, struggled to break down Spain's disciplined defence. Mikel Oyarzabal opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 22nd minute after a foul by Lucas Digne, before Pedro Porro doubled Spain's lead in the second half to seal their place in the final.

Mbappe said France's plan was to press high and prevent Spain from controlling possession, but admitted the opposite happened throughout the match.

"Tactically and technically, we didn't execute our game plan. At this stage of the World Cup, if you don't perform at the required level, you don't deserve to win."

The Real Madrid forward also criticised his team's poor ball retention, saying France failed to make the most of possession whenever they regained it.

Despite second-half attacking substitutions by coach Didier Deschamps, France failed to mount a comeback, while Mbappe—who has already scored eight goals in the tournament—was effectively contained by Spain's defence.

The 26-year-old remains joint-top scorer in the Golden Boot race alongside Lionel Messi, matching the eight goals he scored at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Accepting responsibility as captain, Mbappe said:

"As captain, I take full responsibility for this defeat. We wanted to reach the final, but we couldn't."

France will now face the loser of the Argentina-England semi-final in Saturday's third-place playoff in Miami Gardens.