Deschamps takes blame for defeat: «I made a mistake in the first half»

The France national team finished the 2026 World Cup without a medal. In the third-place play-off against England, the French trailed 0-4 but staged a massive comeback, only to lose 4-6 in the end.

After the match, Didier Deschamps took responsibility for the poor performance in the first half. The coach stated that the team even had chances to equalize.

France conceded four goals in the first half

The French had an extremely poor start to the match. England scored four times in the first half, heading into the break with a commanding lead.

Deschamps admitted that the team failed to execute the game plan in the first 45 minutes.

«The blame is on me. Because I didn't do what needed to be done in the first half,» said the coach.

According to him, France managed to get back into the game after the break by playing their own brand of football.

There was a chance to equalize

In the second half, France became much more aggressive in attack and scored consecutive goals, restoring the intrigue.

Deschamps noted that his team had two good opportunities to level the score. However, the French pushed too many players forward, leaving gaps in defense.

«We know how to do it, but this time it didn't work out. We pushed too far forward,» he said.

England capitalized on their chances in the final minutes to win 6-4 and secure the bronze medal.

The match against Spain also disappointed Deschamps

France lost 0-2 to Spain in the semi-finals. Deschamps believes the team failed to show their true potential in that match.

«We couldn't play our football against Spain. The opponent played very well against us,» the specialist said.

Although the French came to the tournament with the goal of winning the title, they ultimately had to settle for fourth place.

«It was a wonderful journey»

Despite the defeat, Deschamps noted that there were many positives throughout the tournament. He emphasized that France has high-potential players and the opportunity to achieve great results in the future.

«Not everything was bad. We have a talented team. Personally, for me, it was a wonderful journey, a wonderful eight weeks,» said Deschamps.

At the same time, the coach did not hide his regret that he could not bring another great joy to millions of French fans.

France finished the 2026 World Cup without a trophy, but the second-half comeback against England showed that the team's potential remains high. Now the main question is: will this generation fully realize its potential in the next major tournament?