Inefficiency in front of goal cost France at the European Championship, team head coach Didier Deschamps said after Tuesday’s 1-2 loss to Spain saw them go out at the semi-finals stage.
France scored four goals in six matches at the tournament and Randal Kolo Muani’s early effort in Munich on Tuesday was the first they had scored from open play.
They benefitted from two own goals and a penalty kick.
Wayward shooting, notably from out-of-form team captain Kylian Mbappe, did not help their cause after they went 2-1 down and were searching for an equaliser.
“I am the one who has to take responsibility,” said Deschamps, after questions about the poor form of Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann, previously another key player for France.
“We didn’t have all the offensive weapons either, and we had to adapt for different reasons. We didn’t have the usual influence.
“The pair of them didn’t play as well as they usually do, or to 100 percent of their capacity. But they were coming off long seasons and it was difficult for them to find their efficiency,” Deschamps told a news conference.
“We came up against a very good Spanish team, who confirmed all the potential they had shown before.
“We could have done certain things better against an opponent, who had a lot of control of the game… We fought until the end, but we had our limits too, for different reasons.
“We had complicated situations. We were playing a sixth game and so maybe we had a little less energy too.”
Deschamps explained that Mbappe’s decision to play without a mask had been cleared by the French medical team.
This was after the attacker ditched the protection he had used since returning to the side after breaking his nose in France’s opening game of the tournament against Austria.
Mbappe had previously said it had irritated him, hampering his vision and became difficult to wear with all the sweat during the game.
Euro 2024 progress to final: Spain’s coach, Luis de la Fuente reacts
Meanwhile, Spain coach Luis de la Fuente has hailed his team’s quality and cohesion in coming from a goal down to beat France and reach the Euro 2024 final on Tuesday.
It was a feat he took no credit for and said was all about his players’ insatiable hunger for success.
De la Fuente said his team had versatility and outstanding individual qualities, which when put together created a special brand of football.
He added that the same brand of football would be on show in Sunday’s final, regardless of whether the opponent was England or Netherlands.
“Our idea of football is based on our self-assurance. This is what we want to play, we want to play to our strengths.
“I know that we are able to play football, we’ve seen it throughout the tournament.
“Individually they are fantastic but they offer the collective benefits of their individual qualities … they always work for the common good, for the collective effort.
“They are very generous in their efforts and work rate. This is just one more sign that this is an insatiable team, that they want to keep improving with the spirit of sacrifice,” he told reporters.
Spain went behind to an early goal from France’s Randal Kolo Muani before teenager Lamine Yamal levelled with a brilliant strike in the 21st minute.
Dani Olmo added a second just a few minutes after in a spectacular first half.
De la Fuente hit back at critics who had previously questioned some of his decisions and team selections, reminding them that he knew his players best after a long history with many of them.
“I want you to know that this may surprise you more than it surprises us, because we knew the possibilities we had …
“I know these footballers and I make my decisions based on how much I know them.
“It’s not out of a whim. You’ve been asking for this player or this other player, when you don’t know the history behind each and every one of them.
“We do know – me and the technical staff – and I know my players can give much more and they can improve and be even better,” he said.
De la Fuente had special praise for Yamal, whose goal he described as “a touch of genius. We all know who he is. We need to take care of him.
“I want him to work with the same humility, keep his feet on the ground in order to keep improving, learning with the same kind of attitude and that professionalism, that maturity that he shows on the pitch.
“He looks like a much more experienced player to be honest.
“But fundamentally I celebrate that he’s in our team, that he’s Spanish and that we count on him and I hope we can enjoy him for years to come.”