Mbappe blames technical, tactical blunders for World Cup semifinal loss

Mbappe blames technical, tactical blunders for World Cup semifinal lossFrance striker admits Spain controlled the game and made them pay for errors in the semifinal in Dallas.French captain Kylian Mbappe has rued his team’s tactical and technical errors as Les Bleus missed out on a place in the World Cup final following a 0-2 defeat to Spain in Dallas.Speaking after the match on Tuesday, Mbappe – who was aiming for a third straight World Cup final appearance – revealed his frustration at France’s performance in the game.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Norway ‘rows’ at the royal palace to welcome back World Cup heroeslist 2 of 4Argentina war vets urge focus on football for England World Cup semifinallist 3 of 4Jude Bellingham Station unveiled ahead of World Cup semi-finallist 4 of 4World Cup semifinal: Key players to watch in England vs Argentina clashend of list“I don’t think we played the match we wanted to play – whether tactically, technically, or in terms of our overall performance level,” Mbappe told French broadcaster M6.“And when you don’t do what you’re supposed to do in a World Cup semifinal, you don’t win.“Our goal was to press them high up the pitch to prevent them from settling into that slow, controlled rhythm – because when it comes to controlling the game, they are better than us. We failed to do that,” the Real Madrid star added.Mbappe had emerged as one of the stars of the tournament during France’s run to the last four, rattling in eight goals at the tip of a free-scoring attack that delighted fans worldwide.But the 27-year-old’s dreams of another World Cup final appearance ended abruptly as Spain outplayed Les Bleus at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas.France’s Kylian Mbappe embraces coach Didier Deschamps after the match [Marco Bello/Reuters]‘Immense disappointment’Mbappe pinpointed the crux of the problem in midfield, where France’s duo of Adrien Rabiot and Aurelien Tchouameni rapidly found themselves overrun by Spain’s triumvirate of Rodri, Dani Olmo and Fabian Ruiz.