Didier Deschamps’ France were at a disadvantage in a thrilling 6-4 World Cup third-place match against England, with Didier Deschamps’ side trailing 4-0 at half-time.
Adrien Rabiot did not hold back in his post-match interview (Image: beIN Sports)
France midfielder Adrien Rabiot has criticized the “disgraceful” behavior of some of his teammates during the third-place match against England. Les Bleus lost 6-4 in Miami on Saturday, but were on the verge of a historic defeat when England raced to a 4-0 lead before half-time.
Captain Kylian Mbappé inspired a late counterattack, but England managed to get over the line. It wasn’t as if France wanted to withdraw from the World Cup, especially considering it was Didier Deschamps’ last match in charge after 14 years.
Deschamps’ side were the clear favorites to win after a strong start, but suffered a disappointing 2-0 loss to Spain in the semi-finals. And against England, Rabiot felt their performance was “unacceptable” and claimed that the foundations of their performance had been laid before kick-off.
“We started the first half in a pretty embarrassing way,” the AC Milan star told beIN Sports. “In games like this, you saw certain players do things you had never seen before.
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“It’s true that there are some disappointments because it’s our last game. We had to make a good impact in this tournament. It’s true that there’s a lot of disappointment after losing in the semi-finals against Spain. We had a job to do until the end. We can’t afford to make mistakes like that.”
“We pulled ourselves together at half-time and we all talked about it and said we need a little more pride, we need to show something. We were much better in the second half, but there was some behavior in the first half that was unacceptable.”
“You have to emphasize the coaches and staff tonight. They did a great job. That’s what we have to remember. He spoke up in the locker room and thanked everyone. I think we’re the ones who have to thank him. We won’t forget that. We’re grateful.”
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France lost in Didier Deschamps’ last match as coach (Image: CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)
Deschamps, who will replace former France captain Zinedine Zidane in the dugout, took responsibility for the first half. “It’s a defeat, but we were losing 4-0. The first half was unacceptable,” he admitted.
“That’s what we knew we needed to do well and we responded. We had two chances to make it 4-on-4, but we pushed a little further. That’s what we knew we needed to do and we didn’t do it. It’s my fault for not doing what we needed to do in the first half.”
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