Kylian Mbappe speaks out after angrily confronting referee Michael Oliver
France star Kylian Mbappe was furious with referee Michael Oliver after he felt the referee had blown the final whistle too early in their Nations League semi-final against Spain
Kylian Mbappe had to stop himself from launching into a rant against Michael Oliver after France were knocked out of the Nations League by Spain. Les Bleus were beaten 5-4 in the semi-finals on Thursday night in a seesawing match packed full of drama as Mbappe was left furious.
Spain were 4-0 up after goals from Nico Williams, Mikel Merino, Lamine Yamal and Pedri before France fought back in Stuttgart. Mbappe scored from the penalty spot, but any chance of a comeback was squashed when Yamal netted his own spot-kick to make it 5-1 to Spain.
France rattled in further goals thanks to Rayan Cherki – who is the subject of transfer interest from Liverpool and Manchester City – a Dani Vivian own goal and Randal Kolo Muani but ran out of time. Spain booked their place in the Nations League final against neighbours Portugal – but their victory was not without controversy.
Mbappe was furious at Oliver, feeling he blew the final whistle too early, unfairly bringing to a halt his side’s momentum. The Real Madrid striker was seen grabbing the Premier League official’s watch to emphasise his point and had to bite his tongue after the final whistle.
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“It was the actual playing time,” he told TF1. “The problem is a recurring thing. If I talk about it now, people will think I’m a hater, so I don’t want to talk about it. When you have five minutes [of added time], you have to play five minutes, it’s not just five minutes that go by.”
Mbappe felt his side were deserving of more, despite shipping five goals for the first time since 1969. “In the heat of the moment, I’d say we played well, we had some sequences of play that we haven’t had for a long time,” he said.
“We were able to keep the ball, have a structure, create a lot of opportunities. The problem is that we had a 10-minute gap in the first half, we lost two minutes. 10 minutes in the second, we conceded two goals. You pay for that in cash in top-level matches, but it’s encouraging.”
France manager Didier Deschamps said: My feelings are mixed. There were plenty of encouraging signs, especially during our first twenty minutes when we controlled the game well. We created more chances than Spain, who, however, were extremely clinical.
“Despite the heavy score line, we never gave up. Towards the end, we really made them anxious. I’m not about to smile, but I also don’t want to downplay my players’ efforts. We’re a young squad, and this experience will serve us well moving forward.
“When you concede this many goals, the defence usually takes the blame, but I refuse to single them out – it’s about overall balance. Three out of four defenders who have been regulars over the past two years were missing, and it showed. Clément Lenglet also had some personal issues and had to return to Madrid on Tuesday, but he insisted on playing.”
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