Kylian Mbappé admits a “failed” competition on his part

The captain of the Blues conceded that he should have “at least hit the target” with his attempt at the end of the match against Spain (1-2), on Tuesday, in the semi-final of the Euro.

He walked alone to the bench and the locker room at the final whistle, his head bowed. Kylian Mbappé, the dejected captain of Les Bleus, symbolised the difficulties his team had experienced during this Euro. Lacking legs, not very decisive, he nevertheless provided an assist in the semi-finals against Spain (1-2), Tuesday 9 July, before passing away and acknowledging after the match a competition “difficult” And “failed” on his part.

“I had the ambition to be European champion and to have a good Euro. I did neither.” The words released by Kylian Mbappé are direct and the captain of the Blues does not hide. Against Spain on Tuesday evening, the captain had the opportunity to hang on to extra time, but he sent his shot into the stands, in the 86th minute. “Bradley [Barcola] did a very good job, he gives me the ball, I fix the defender well, and then I think I have to score, at least on target. This is the harsh reality of football and we go home”he notes.

However, against Spain, Kylian Mbappé got rid of his mask, which he had “Fed up”. Didier Deschamps had never stopped defending his captain since his broken nose during the first match against Austria. “I am convinced that Kylian has been at full speed since the start. But during the preparation, he had a back problem, and then there was the trauma he had to his nose, it could have stopped for him. We have to digest that and get used to these new conditions.”the coach declared the day before.

But, beyond the mask and the broken nose, the star striker of the Blues has never been completely on form in this Euro. “I have never been the player who makes excuses, but I think that to be 100% I need good physical preparation”he stressed after the quarter-final against Portugal, during which he had asked the coach to come off at half-time in extra time. A physical preparation that had not been optimal before the Euro, with 48 matches played at club level this season, but above all a lack of rhythm since Luis Enrique had decided to give him little playing time, or even to do without him, since the announcement of his departure to Real Madrid.

“It’s up to me to get up to par with Spain”he said after the penalty shootout victory against Portugal. But, once again, the new Madrid player failed. He often came up against the defense (29% of duels won) and, as is often the case in this Euro, his dribbling did not make the difference. His missed equalizer will also recall other missed one-on-ones in front of goal, such as the one against the Polish goalkeeper, or his missed recovery on a perfect cross from Jules Koundé against Belgium (56th).

Asked about the bad patch that Mbappé is going through, just like Antoine Griezmann, Didier Deschamps did not, however, blame his two leaders. “I’m not going to give more responsibility to one than the other. The responsibility is mine (…) The players were not all at 100%, for different reasons.” Having emerged exhausted from this Euro, the captain of the Blues will now turn to a new chapter in his life, in Madrid. “We have to move on, it’s been a long year. I’m going to rest, because I need it, and try to come back very strong, to do a good preparation.” The Spanish Real Madrid fans who were present in the stands in Munich on Tuesday evening are indeed hoping to see another Kylian Mbappé.