L’Equipe gave the French team harsh judgements, despite the fact that Kylian Mbappé and co. had reached the semi-finals of Euro 2024.
Les Bleus advanced to the quarter-finals against Portugal. The match ended goalless after 120 minutes, with penalties needed to make the difference.
It was Joao Felix’s miss that sent the two-time winners through to the last four, leaving Cristiano Ronaldo and Pepe devastated after confirming their exits on the pitch.
Although France were fourth, they were criticised for their performance. They have yet to score a goal from open play. In five games in Germany, they have only managed to score three times.
French publication The team responded in a similar manner and gave some low scores for the match, with captain and star player Kylian Mbappe getting the lowest score.
Kylian Mbappe was given an embarrassing rating by L’Equipe for his performance against Portugal on Friday
The striker is struggling at Euro 2024, as France have yet to score a goal from open play at the tournament.
Antoine Griezmann meanwhile scored three from ten in what was a dull French performance
Mbappe, who was substituted midway through extra time, has struggled throughout the match and has scored just once in the competition so far, having scored from the penalty spot in the group stage against Poland.
His performances at the European Championships so far have been scrutinised and L’Equipe have investigated the matter, giving the 25-year-old a score of just two out of 10.
“He has to give the game speed, but he slowed it down,” was the analysis. “He was also not served, but it is all the more difficult to find him, because he no longer puts his head in it and no longer dares to engage in duels.
‘Apart from a blocked shot (67th) and another weak shot (90th + 3) his score is poor.’
The criticism didn’t stop there, however. Antoine Griezmann, the man who competed with Mbappe for the French captaincy when Huge Lloris stepped down, was given an equally harsh score of three out of 10.
He started as number 10 behind Mbappe and Randal Kolo Muani, but was replaced by Ousmane Dembele after 67 minutes.
‘He should have been more at ease, but his influence on the game was erratic at best, too often insufficient, and he struggled to turn and direct and stimulate,’ the analysis read. ‘Replaced by Ousmane Dembele (67th, score: 7) who brought dynamism, made the difference and even grazed the woodwork (74th).’
The Atlético Madrid player could lose his place in the semi-final, which will be played against Spain on Tuesday evening.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored three of the 10 goals as his team was eliminated from the competition on penalties
However, Bruno Fernandes scored less and was taken off the game after just 68 minutes
France go into the match as heavy underdogs due to their performance so far, Spain defeated Germany in the last eight and are now favourites to lift the trophy next weekend.
Their opponents, Portugal, however, still have some analysis to do as they too disappointed in Germany and ended up on the wrong side of the shoot-out.
There has been much ado about Cristiano Ronaldo’s performance in Germany. The 39-year-old failed to score and burst into tears after missing a penalty in the round of 16 against Slovakia.
Manager Roberto Martinez stuck with his man, however, but the risk proved not worth it and his team were knocked out of the competition despite having a wealth of attacking talent, including Bruno Fernandes and Rafael Leao.
L’Equipe gave Ronaldo a score of three out of ten, deciding to grant the five-time Ballon d’Or winner yet another disappointing performance.
L’Equipe’s full reviews gave a scathing assessment of some performances
‘He found little in the beginning of the match, but he did pass well and gave himself a few nice moments (30th, 52nd), but he was never given a chance’, is a rough translation of their analysis.
‘No longer present after the break, where he lost the rare balls he touched. He missed a huge chance in extra time (93rd) but missed his shot on target.’
Another player in the Portuguese team was Bruno Fernandes, who was substituted after 74 minutes. He was given a two out of ten and was criticized.
‘He took very bad set-pieces, whether it was corner kicks or a direct free kick that CR7 made him take (42nd),’ was one reasoning. ‘Another significant waste and a duel lost against Maignan (61st). Replaced by Francisco Conceicao, creator of two offers that were wasted by CR7 (97th) and then Felix (108th).’
Elsewhere, Bernardo Silva was awarded four out of ten, Joules Koune four out of ten and Ngolo Kante five out of ten, along with a number of other stars.
English referee Michael Oliver was awarded a six out of 10 for his performance at the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg on Friday evening.
There was praise, however, for William Saliba, who continues to shine in an unfamiliar role for his country as a left-wing central defender.
There was praise, however, for William Saliba, who received an eight out of ten for his efforts
France will face Spain in the semi-finals on Tuesday, following their narrow victory over Germany
He was given an eight out of ten and according to the analysis he kept the match ‘controlled in the air and radiated an inexhaustible calm’.
“He knew how to defend himself and not give the opponent any chances, and his confidence radiates from it,” the message continued.