Rayan Cherki, star of the French national team, erupted in anger due to a journalist's question after the 2-0 loss to Spain on Tuesday in the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup.

After the match, Cherki was asked about the psychological state of left-back Lucas Digne between the two halves, to which he replied irritably: "What do you think I'm going to tell you? That he was crying, and we patted his head? No. These are things that happen in the game, this is football."

Digne committed a foul on Spain's star Lamine Yamal, resulting in a penalty from which La Roja scored their first goal, allowing them to control the entire match.

Cherki added in statements reported by RMC Sport: "We have to support him and make him part of the team; we were all together. Even during the halftime break, we were all together."

He continued: "We knew the second goal would be decisive, because in a match like this, when the score is 1-1, defending is very difficult. But when the score is 2-0, the situation is completely different. The disappointment is huge."

Rayan Cherki came on as a substitute in the 72nd minute against Spain when the score was 2-0, and a journalist asked him in the mixed zone: "Would you have personally preferred to come on earlier?" The Manchester City player replied: "What do you think?"

Cherki acknowledged in his statements: "It's a huge disappointment... because today we lost to ourselves. We didn't lose to the referee, and we didn't lose to Spain; we lost to ourselves."

He concluded: "We all know we were a force to be reckoned with. The only team capable of eliminating us was ourselves. And that's what happened today. We were defeated technically, tactically, and in the duels. It's a huge disappointment."