Cherki: We Beat Ourselves — Not the Referee!

Ryan Cherki has said France lost their World Cup semi-final against Spain because of their own mistakes rather than any outside factor.

Speaking after the defeat, Cherki said France were beaten “technically, tactically and in the duels” and insisted the team had only themselves to blame. He added that Spain controlled the tempo from the bench and that France failed to play the kind of football they wanted.

Cherki also played down any drama around Lucas Digne’s conceded penalty, saying it was simply part of football and that the squad needed to support him. He said France knew a second goal would be decisive after falling behind, and stressed that the result was a “big disappointment”.

Looking ahead to the third-place match on Saturday, Cherki said the immediate challenge was to forget what had happened, even if that would be difficult.