Kylian Mbappé, the captain of France, has acknowledged his team’s performance was not sufficient to reach a third consecutive World Cup final after their 2-0 defeat to Spain in the semifinals. The match, held on Tuesday, saw Mbappé struggling to create scoring opportunities, contributing to France‘s elimination from the main competition.
Despite the semifinal exit, Mbappé remains a contender for the Golden Boot award. He is currently tied with Lionel Messi of Argentina, both having scored eight goals in the tournament. Mbappé holds an advantage in the tiebreaker for assists, with three compared to Messi‘s two. Both players are set to participate in one more match before the award is decided.
Semifinal Performance and Tactical Reflections
During the match against Spain, Mbappé had limited involvement in the first half, recording the fewest touches among all forwards with 15. A key moment in the game occurred when Spain was awarded a penalty after Lucas Digne fouled Lamine Yamal. Mikel Oyarzabal converted the penalty in the 22nd minute, giving Spain a lead they maintained throughout the game.
Mbappé reflected on the team’s tactics, stating that France allowed Spain to control the game and the ball. He noted that the midfield was given too much time to play, which Spain capitalized on due to their quality. He emphasized that it becomes difficult when a team does not disrupt Spain‘s play, and he felt France was not at the required level to advance to the final.
His most significant scoring chance came in the 67th minute, but his shot deflected off Spain defender Marc Cucurella and went wide. By this point, Spain had already established a two-goal advantage. In the 86th minute, Mbappé received a yellow card after colliding with Spain goalkeeper Unai Simón.
Mbappé took responsibility for the team’s performance as captain, stating, “At the end of the day, you take all the glory when you win. 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.”
Spain midfielder Rodri commented on France‘s threat, highlighting that they can be dangerous at any moment, which made focus crucial for Spain throughout the game. He praised the collective effort of his team.
Golden Boot Race Continues
Despite France‘s elimination from the final, Mbappé will still play in the third-place match on Saturday in Miami Gardens, Florida. Any goals scored in this match will contribute to the Golden Boot standings. France will face the loser of the other semifinal match between England and Argentina.
The Golden Boot award has specific tiebreakers if players finish with the same number of goals. The first tiebreaker is the number of assists, followed by the fewest minutes played. Mbappé currently has three assists, while Messi has two. In terms of minutes played, Mbappé has logged 609 minutes across seven matches, and Messi has played 531 minutes in six matches.
If Messi plays at least 79 minutes in Argentina‘s upcoming semifinal match against England, he would surpass Mbappé in total minutes played. This scenario would mean that if goals and assists remain tied, the minutes played tiebreaker would favor Mbappé.
For Mbappé to secure a second consecutive Golden Boot, his clearest path is for the current standings to remain unchanged. If Messi does not score or record another assist in Argentina‘s remaining matches, Mbappé would win based on the assists tiebreaker, assuming both finish with eight goals. However, if Messi adds a goal or an assist in Wednesday’s semifinal, Mbappé would likely need to score in France’s third-place match to maintain his chances.
Mbappé previously won the Golden Boot at the last World Cup four years ago in Qatar, where France lost to Messi‘s Argentina in a penalty shootout in the final. France had won the World Cup eight years ago in Russia by defeating Croatia.
Looking Ahead
Spain will advance to the final, which will be held in East Rutherford, New Jersey. France will play in the third-place match on Saturday in Miami Gardens, Florida.
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Source: apnews.com
