Didier Deschamps: France had a shameful first half against England
France head coach Didier Deschamps shared his thoughts following the defeat to England in the 2026 World Cup third-place match.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Author: Bryan Berlin
France national team head coach Didier Deschamps has reflected on the team's performance at the 2026 World Cup, specifically commenting on the high-scoring third-place play-off against England, which ended in a 4-6 defeat for the French side.
«This is a defeat. We were trailing 0-4. We had a shameful first half. However, we showed fighting spirit, and there were things we did well», — Didier Deschamps.
Deschamps took responsibility for the team's poor start, admitting he failed to prepare them appropriately for the opening of the match. Despite trailing by four goals, France managed to revive the contest and created chances to level the score at 4-4, which the manager noted as a testament to his squad's character.
Assessing the tournament as a whole, the manager rejected the idea that the campaign was a failure. He highlighted the potential of the current squad, expressing gratitude to the players for their eight weeks of preparation together. Deschamps added that while the sporting disappointment of missing out on a medal is real, the team's primary goal was to bring emotion to millions of French fans.