Kylian Mbappe said France's talented squad still has plenty to prove despite reaching the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-finals with a 2-0 victory.
France captain Kylian Mbappe hailed his team as "the one with the most potential" but also admitted that its "not the strongest yet" after he helped it register a 2-0 win over Morocco in the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-final clash on Thursday (local) time to set up a semifinal clash with either Belgium or Spain on July 14.
Key Points
- The France captain said he had never prepared for such a scenario and "let myself get distracted."
- Despite the missed penalty, France beat Morocco 2-0 to reach the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-finals.
- Mbappe stressed that talent alone is not enough and that France must earn the tag of being an unbeatable team through performances.
After a goalless first half in the quarter-final encounter, Mbappe broke the deadlock in the 60th minute, putting France ahead with the opening goal. Ousmane Dembele later doubled the advantage to secure a 2-0 victory and send Les Bleus into the semi-finals.
The result ended Morocco's impressive run after another historic World Cup campaign, while France moved one step closer to the title.
Speaking after the win, Mbappe said: 'I don't know if it's the strongest. I was a world champion and a world runner-up, and this team hasn't achieved that yet. However, it's undoubtedly the one with the most potential. The one we can envision a future with.
"There's a lot of quality in this team; it allows us to dream. But, until proven otherwise, it hasn't won anything yet. I've always said that the strongest teams are the ones that win trophies. That's not the case for this one yet, so no, it's not the strongest," Mbappe said at the post-match press conference.
Mbappe, who experienced the World Cup win in 2018, a loss to Argentina in the 2022 final, and now another semi-final, said reaching a third World Cup semi-final is a special moment for France, especially for the experienced players.
"It's always a great moment. It's an important step for the team, and for the more experienced players, it's their third semi-final. Right now, I don't have a preference for our next opponent, Spain or Belgium. I'm mainly focused on recovering. We'll watch the match tomorrow. And whatever happens, it will be a chance for redemption for someone," he said.
The 27-year-old said the France team has the potential to make history but stressed that talent alone is not enough. He added that the squad must prove itself on the pitch, despite having confidence in its ability.
"We're aware of this team's potential. But potential alone doesn't win matches. Fear or apprehension don't score goals either. You have to prove it on the pitch. We have confidence in ourselves, but we still have a lot to prove if we want to be considered a nearly invincible team," he said.
In the quarter-final clash against Morocco, Mbappe missed a penalty opportunity, with both teams heading into the half-time break locked at 0-0. He admitted that he failed to handle the penalty situation well, saying the VAR confusion distracted him, saying, "I didn't take it well. It's complicated because there was a lot of confusion with the VAR review. I made the transition with Ousmane, who passed me the ball. Then he told me there might not be a penalty and that we had to wait for the decision. I let myself get distracted. I'd imagined many scenarios to stay focused before taking a penalty, but never this one. I'll have to adapt."
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Source: Rediff.com
