ARLINGTON — Kylian Mbappé’s hopes of reaching a third consecutive World Cup final ended Tuesday after France suffered a 2-0 semifinal defeat to Spain, leaving the striker tied with Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot.
Mbappé remains level with Argentina captain Messi on eight goals after failing to find the net against Spain. Messi will have the chance to move ahead when defending champion Argentina faces England in Wednesday’s semifinal.
France will now play in Saturday’s third-place playoff against the loser of the Argentina-England match, while Spain awaits the winner in Sunday’s final at MetLife Stadium.
The France captain struggled to influence the contest, registering the fewest touches of any French forward in the opening half with just 15.
His most notable moment before halftime came when he unsuccessfully protested Spain’s penalty, awarded after Lamine Yamal was fouled in the box. Mikel Oyarzabal converted from the spot to give Spain the lead before Pedro Porro added a second after the break.
Mbappé’s best opportunity arrived in the 67th minute when his effort took a deflection off Marc Cucurella and narrowly missed the target.
The 27-year-old was booked in the 86th minute after colliding with Spain goalkeeper Unai Simón while the keeper was collecting the ball.
Mbappé had entered the semifinal after scoring his eighth goal of the tournament in France’s quarterfinal victory over Morocco.
He also scored eight goals at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where France finished runner-up to Argentina after a penalty shootout in the final. Les Bleus lifted the trophy in 2018 after defeating Croatia in the final.
Source: Saudi Gazette