France manager Didier Deschamps did not hold back in his criticism of his players after their Euro 2024 exit against Spain. Les Blues were beaten 2-1 in the semi-final, despite taking the lead early on through Randal Kolo Muani.
Kylian Mbappe had another difficult night in what was a tough tournament for France’s star player. He scored just once, a penalty against Poland, and missed some good chances, although a broken nose from the opening game clearly impacted his performances.
But expectations were high and France fans were disappointed with Mbappe, who joined Real Madrid this summer. Deschamps admitted after the Spain defeat that the 25-year-old was below par.
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"I will not say my players didn't give their all, but we didn't play as well as we could for various reasons. Kylian didn't perform as well as he usually does. I'm not making excuses. We tried to do our best with what we had and tried to be as efficient as possible."
Deschamps has been France manager since 2012, winning the World Cup in 2018 but falling short in three attempts at the Euros. Asked about his future, he added: "I've just lost a semi-final so don't ask me that question. Ask the president of the FA. I won't answer the question. Maybe you shouldn't have even asked it."
France reached the final of Euro 2016 but lost to Portugal, and at Euro 2020 they were beaten on penalties by Switzerland in the last 16.
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