As the French national team entered the World Cup semi-final on Bastille Day, hopes soared high among fans. With Kylian Mbappé in the spotlight and an undefeated squad, crowds filled bars nationwide, eagerly anticipating celebrations for a potential final appearance.
However, the atmosphere turned somber as the night unfolded, with streets emptier than expected. By Wednesday morning, French media outlets were grappling with the disappointment of the defeat against Spain in Texas, while acknowledging the impressive performance of their opponents.
“deserved more than this disaster of a game, this disaster of strategy and emotions” was the striking headline of L’Équipe’s print edition, summarizing the match outcome. Vincent Duluc expressed his dismay, stating that France’s World Cup journey “feeling of barely really having played, and of betraying the magic of this American dream” He noted that the team couldn’t even lament their loss due to the overwhelming sense that they had hardly participated, betraying the allure of their American adventure.
Duluc emphasized the team’s lack of physical readiness, highlighting technical errors and, crucially, the players’ apparent mental exhaustion from the match’s emotional weight.
After being lauded for weeks, Le Monde’s Alexandre Lemarié conveyed his sorrow, remarking that the team’s descent from grace was “mentally sunk by the emotional dimension of the match” He characterized the defeat as a “The fall to earth is as brutal as it is painful,” especially in light of their previous performances, labeling it a “The end of the American dream”
This semi-final will be remembered for all the wrong reasons, as noted by La Voix du Nord, which described it as a match that “They fell from very, very high,” Ouest France echoed this sentiment with a headline proclaiming “Les Bleus, stifled, pummelled and incapable of three passes despite their promise from the start of the competition, faced players stronger than them,” accompanied by an image of Mbappé with his head in his hands. Libération also lamented, stating, “It’s sad. Infuriating. But that’s sport. The strongest won.”
In Le Figaro, Baptiste Desprez expressed his disappointment while acknowledging Spain’s talent. “Les Bleus, stifled, pummelled and incapable of three passes despite their promise from the start of the competition, faced players stronger than them,” he stated. “It’s sad. Infuriating. But that’s sport. The strongest won.”
