Mbappé's individual brilliance not enough as France crashes out to Spain

Kylian Mbappé ended the 2026 World Cup semifinal with eight goals – tied with Lionel Messi for the Golden Boot – but his France side fell 2-0 to Spain, marking a season without a single team trophy for the forward. Despite being the top scorer in La Liga, the Champions League, and the World Cup so far, Mbappé's extraordinary individual campaign could not compensate for a disjointed team performance Source: elconfidencial.

The fallout

The defeat, labeled "El desastre de Dallas" by L'Équipe, triggered harsh scrutiny. Midfielder Ousmane Dembélé, the 2025 Ballon d'Or winner, reportedly complained at halftime about the team's pressing coordination, which "molested" some teammates who felt he was also underperforming Source: emolcl. Meanwhile, Michael Olise – previously hailed as the heir to Platini and Zidane – was criticized by pundit Daniel Riolo: "To Olise they gave a seat at the table with Zidane and Platini, and now he's not even in the kitchen" Source: infobae. Spain's Marc Cucurella was a standout, having not been dribbled past once in the entire tournament Source: abces.

What's next

France will play England for third place. Mbappé and Messi remain tied on eight goals each, with the Golden Boot likely to be decided in the final Source: hoydo. Deschamps, who announced his departure after the tournament, reflected: "We were a step below our level against a team that knew exactly what they were doing" Source: clarin.