France’s 2026 FIFA World Cup journey came to a disappointing end in the semi-finals, and while manager Didier Deschamps criticised the refereeing standards, forward Rayan Cherki (22) placed the responsibility squarely on himself and his teammates.
The French side, widely viewed as favourites to lift the trophy after a dominant campaign, failed to display their trademark attacking flair in Dallas. Their opponents, Spain, effectively neutralised them with a disciplined performance to secure a 2-0 victory and book their place in Sunday’s final.
Speaking in the mixed zone after the defeat, the Manchester City attacker made it clear that there would be no excuses for the loss. “We are immensely disappointed because we lost against ourselves. We didn’t lose against the referee or Spain,” Cherki stated.
He went on to add, “You all know that we scared everyone. The only team capable of knocking us out was ourselves.”
France will now have to regroup quickly as they prepare for the third-place play-off match against either Argentina or England on Saturday — a game that will decide the final ranking of Deschamps’ side in the tournament.
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