L’Equipe gave brutal ratings to the French national team despite Kylian Mbappé and company reaching the semi-finals of Euro 2024.
Les Bleus advanced against Portugal in a dull quarter-final tie that ended goalless after 120 minutes of play, with both teams needing penalties to separate.
It was João Félix’s miss that sent the two-time winners into the quarter-finals, leaving the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Pepe devastated on the pitch after their elimination was confirmed.
Although France celebrated, they have been criticised for their performance and have so far failed to score from open play, netting just three times in five games in Germany.
French publication The team They reacted similarly, awarding some low scores in their ratings for the match, with the lowest of all being awarded to captain and star striker Kylian Mbappé.
L’Equipe called Kylian Mbappé disgraceful for his performance against Portugal on Friday
The striker has struggled at Euro 2024, with France yet to score a goal from open play in the tournament.
Antoine Griezmann, meanwhile, scored three in 10 in what was a dull performance for France.
Mbappé, who was substituted midway through extra time, struggled throughout the match and has scored just one goal in the competition so far, from the penalty spot against Poland in the group stage.
His performances at the Euros so far have come under scrutiny, with L’Equipe following suit by giving the 25-year-old a rating of just two out of 10.
“Although he is supposed to speed up the game, he has slowed it down,” the analysis reads. “He has not been up to par, but it is harder to find him because he no longer puts his head at all and does not dare to enter into duels.”
‘Apart from a blocked shot (67th) and another too weak one (90th+3), his record is poor.’
But the criticism didn’t end there. Antoine Griezmann, the man who competed with Mbappé for the French captaincy when the great Lloris stepped down, received an equally harsh rating of three out of ten.
He started as number 10 behind Mbappé and Randal Kolo Muani, but was withdrawn after 67 minutes and replaced by Ousmane Dembélé.
“He should have been more comfortable, but his influence on the game was at best erratic, too often insufficient, with difficulty turning and directing,” reads the analysis. “Replaced by Ousmane Dembélé (67th, result: 7) who brought dynamism, made the difference and even grazed the crossbars (74th).”
The Atletico Madrid player may lose his place in the semi-final tie against Spain on Tuesday night.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored three of 10 goals and his team was eliminated from the competition after the penalty shootout
Bruno Fernandes, however, scored less and was taken out of the tie after 68 minutes.
France will go into the match as heavy underdogs given their form so far, with Spain beating Germany in the quarter-finals and now favourites to lift the trophy next weekend.
However, rivals Portugal will have to do some soul searching after also disappointing against Germany and losing on penalties.
Much has been made of Cristiano Ronaldo’s performances in Germany, with the 39-year-old failing to score and crying after missing a penalty in the last-16 win over Slovakia.
However, manager Roberto Martinez kept his faith in his man but the risk did not pay off and he found his side out of the competition despite possessing a wealth of attacking talent including Bruno Fernandes and Rafael Leao.
L’Equipe gave Ronaldo a score of three out of 10 as the publication chose not to gloss over another disappointing performance from the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
L’Equipe’s full ratings gave a damning assessment of some performances
‘Although he found very little at the start of the match, he applied himself with his passes and allowed himself some good moments (30, 52), but he did not have even the slightest shadow of a chance,’ reads a rough translation of his analysis.
‘Non-existent after the break, where he lost the few balls he touched. He missed a great chance in extra time (93) but was unable to score a shot on goal.’
Meanwhile, in the Portuguese national team, Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes, who was substituted in the 74th minute, was criticised and given a score of two out of 10.
‘He was very bad at set pieces, whether it was from corners or from a direct free kick that CR7 (42) had allowed him to take,’ reads the reasoning. ‘Another important waste and a lost duel against Maignan (61). Substituted by Francisco Conceição, creator of two shots wasted by CR7 (97) and then by Félix (108).’
On the other hand, Bernardo Silva received four out of 10, Joules Koune four out of 10 and Ngolo Kante five out of 10 along with other stars.
English referee Michael Oliver was given a rating of six out of ten for his performance at Hamburg’s Volksparkstadion on Friday night.
There was, however, praise for William Saliba, who continues to shine in an unusual left-centre-back role for his country.
There was praise, however, for William Saliba, who received an eight out of ten for his efforts.
France will face Spain in the semi-final on Tuesday after their narrow victory over Germany.
He was awarded an eight out of ten, with the review reporting that he “reigned in the air and exuded an unwavering serenity” during the game.
“He knew how to defend on his feet so as not to leave his opponent any chance and his confidence is evident,” he continued.