34 Touches, 0 Shots On Target: Kylian Mbappe's Horror Numbers As France Crash Out Of World Cup
Kylian Mbappe, who had the fewest touches of the match in the first half at 14, had just three shots for the entirety of the contest but failed to test Unai Simon in the Spanish goal.
- Kylian Mbappe's France crashed out of the FIFA World Cup, losing 2-0 to Spain in the first semi-final
- Mbappe had just three shots for the entirety of the contest but failed to test Unai Simon in the Spanish goal
- Les Bleus, the two-time champions registered an xG of just 0.3, with Mbappe recording two-thirds of the tally
It was back-to-back heartbreak for Kylian Mbappe and France as the two-time champions crashed out of the FIFA World Cup, losing 2-0 to Spain in the first semi-final at the Dallas Stadium. Four years ago, France lost to Argentina on penalties in the final in Qatar, despite Mbappe scoring a hat-trick. However, against Spain, it was a completely different show as the quartet of Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise, and Bradley Barcola were kept quiet for the entirety of the match by the Spanish backline.
Mbappe, who had the fewest touches of the match in the first half at 14, had just three shots for the entirety of the contest but failed to test Unai Simon in the Spanish goal.
By the time the final whistle blew, Mbappe had 34 touches. He attempted six dribbles during the course of the match but was only successful on one occasion.
In addition, he lost possession 14 times, with only Dembele, Lamine Yamal (17 each), and Michael Olise (20) losing the ball more times than the France captain.
France were the second-highest scoring team before the semi-finals, scoring 16 goals, only one behind Argentina. Astonishingly, Les Bleus registered an xG of just 0.3, with Mbappe recording two-thirds of the tally.
While Mbappe failed to hit the target against Spain, he still looked like France's only real threat, especially with his partners in attack - Dembele, Olise, and Barcola - all having absolute nightmare performances.
The 27-year-old Mbappe was issued a yellow card in the 86th minute when he rushed toward Unai Simon just as the Spain goalkeeper was bending over to pick up the ball. The two collided, sending Simon to the grass.
Mbappe started the match against Spain after exiting in the 77th minute of his team's 2-0 quarterfinal win over Morocco, when he scored his eighth goal of the tournament.
France
Spain