France was one of the favourites to win Euro 2024, but their journey ended in disappointment after losing 2-1 to Spain in the semifinals.
Even though reaching the semifinals met a key goal for coach Didier Deschamps, securing his position for another two years, many feel the team underperformed in Germany.
The French attack, which was highly praised before the tournament, failed to impress.
Antoine Griezmann’s future with the national team is now uncertain. The usually strong French defense also faltered, allowing Spain to come back and win in the semifinal in Munich.
Kylian Mbappe, the team captain, was a major disappointment. He scored only once and had one assist. His performance was affected by a broken nose he suffered in the first match against Austria, which forced him to wear a protective mask.
Mbappe started well against Spain, assisting Randal Kolo Muani’s goal, but his performance declined with several missed shots.
“The competition was a failure. I wanted to be European champion but we’re not,” he told reporters. It’s football. We have to move on. We’re going home, it’s simple,” he said.
Griezmann set a record by playing his 36th match in the Euros and World Cup combined, but was mostly unnoticed in this tournament.
“I started the tournament badly but I felt better and better, even if I ended up on the bench,” he said.
One of the few positives for France was goalkeeper Mike Maignan, who played well despite previous injuries.
Defenders Jules Kounde and William Saliba also had good moments, but overall, the French team was outplayed by Spain.
France will likely be among the favourites for the World Cup in two years, and this experience might help them improve, but as they left Germany, there was little to celebrate.
France last won the European Championship in 2000.
