Dembele's half-time criticism angered France team-mates after 2-0 collapse against Spain

Ousmane Dembele sparked tension inside the France dressing room at half-time of their 2-0 World Cup semi-final defeat to Spain in Dallas on Tuesday, with L’Equipe reporting that a group of team-mates were left angered by his criticism of their pressing.

France fell behind to Mikel Oyarzabal’s 22nd-minute penalty and conceded again before the hour mark, ending Didier Deschamps’ side’s bid to reach a third successive World Cup final despite entering the tournament as one of the favourites. According to L’Equipe, Dembele, 29, used the half-time interval to criticise his team-mates’ pressing, and several players felt the Paris Saint-Germain forward was attempting to absolve himself of responsibility for the performance.

Captain Kylian Mbappe, however, appeared to echo Dembele’s diagnosis in his post-match assessment. “Right from the start, we were pressing three against two. We messed up there,” Mbappe said. “Against Spain, we need to press one for one. And even when we recovered the ball, our ball touches and our movements were not worthy of a World Cup semi-final. We did not have what it takes to go to the World Cup final, to be honest.”

Deschamps, who will leave his role after Saturday’s third-place play-off against England, was similarly critical of his players’ execution. “We were a bit below par and less dangerous offensively than we could have been,” the outgoing manager said. “We made a few technical errors and missed passes that could have led to situations and chances. We have to accept it; this is the highest level, even if it hurts. Spain showed something extra.”

Former France captain Zinedine Zidane is expected to be named as Deschamps’ successor, having been out of work since leaving Real Madrid in 2021. His first assignment would come in the Nations League, where France have been drawn in a group alongside Turkey, Belgium, and Italy.