Kylian Mbappé, captain of the French national football team, expressed his regret after his country's exit from the semifinals of the 2026 World Cup at the hands of Spain 0-2 on Tuesday in Arlington near Dallas, stressing that he 'did not play the match he wanted to play'. The French striker told M6: 'I think we didn't play the match we wanted, neither tactically nor technically nor in terms of overall performance. And when you don't deliver what you're supposed to deliver in a World Cup semifinal, you don't win'. Mbappé admitted to 'huge disappointment', noting that 'the Blues' committed many technical errors against the Spaniards, which prevented them from hurting them at the moments they needed to. Mbappé added: 'Spain stuck to their plan and the identity they are known for; they are a team that likes to possess the ball and control the tempo of the match. Our goal was to press them high to prevent them from imposing that tempo, because they are better than us at controlling the match. But we failed to do that.' The Real Madrid player also regretted that Spanish midfielders Fabian Ruiz and Rodri had a lot of time to play. He continued: Technically, 'the first passes and first touches were not at the level befitting a World Cup semifinal, and if we are objective, we did not provide all the necessary ingredients to reach the final today.' France will play the third-place match on Saturday in Miami against England or Argentina. Mbappé, who played in the final in the last two editions, explained: 'It was a dream for us to reach the final, to give our country a chance to continue dreaming and make history. When we win, we win with our heads held high, and when we lose, we must also lose with our heads held high.'