Mbappé: We made too many mistakes and allowed the Spanish to dictate the tempo

France striker Kylian Mbappé has weighed in on his team's 2-0 defeat to Spain in the World Cup semi-finals.

"We didn't perform as we wanted – neither tactically, nor technically, nor in terms of overall quality. When you fail to deliver what's required in a World Cup semi-final, you simply can't win," Mbappé stated.

"Spain stuck to their well-known game plan: a team that loves to control possession and dictate the tempo. Our idea was to press them high to prevent them from imposing a slower rhythm, but we failed. We made too many technical errors and didn't know how to hurt them when it mattered," the French forward continued.

"We allowed them to dictate the pace, and it was up to us to shift the balance of power, but that's precisely where we fell short. From the outset, due to our press and how we attacked them, we constantly found ourselves in a three-on-two situation in midfield, and against Spain, that's incredibly difficult," Mbappé explained.

"Fabián Ruiz and Rodri had too much time; our pressing lacked cohesion. We needed to play man-to-man, to force them to run with us, because this is a team that dislikes running without the ball. And even when we won possession, our initial passes and first touches technically weren't at the level required for a World Cup semi-final. All of this combined leads to a loss," the French star added.