Deschamps Blasts 'Disgraceful' Half as France Loses Bronze to England

FIFA World Cup 2026: "We played a disgraceful first-half," says Deschamps after France's 6-4 loss to England

Miami, July 19

England clinched the bronze medal after a thrilling, record-breaking 10-goal encounter at Miami Stadium, with the defeat marking a disappointing end to Deschamps' 14-year tenure as France manager.

England took absolute control of the first half, leaving Les Bleus shell-shocked with an unprecedented 4-0 lead before the interval. Declan Rice opened the scoring just three minutes into the game, before defender Ezri Konsa doubled the advantage in the 18th minute. Bukayo Saka then took centre stage, netting twice in quick succession (37', 45+1') to mark the first time France has ever conceded four goals in a single half of World Cup football.

After the match, Deschamps admitted France's first-half performance was "disgraceful" but praised the team's fightback. He took responsibility for the defeat, saying they showed character after the break and had chances to level the game, though he regretted not finishing third.

"It's a loss. We were down 4-0; we played a disgraceful first-half. We did show some fight, though, and there were things we did well. We had two chances to tie it up at 4-4, and after that, we pushed forward a little more... We did what we know how to do. It's my fault; I must not have done what was needed in the first half... At least it looked like something, even if the loss hurts. Obviously, it would have been better to finish third," Deschamps said as quoted by the FIFA website.

France staged a stunning second-half comeback after trailing 4-0, with Kylian Mbappe scoring twice and Bradley Barcola adding another to make it 4-3. Mbappe's brace also saw him overtake Lionel Messi as the FIFA World Cup's all-time leading scorer with 22 goals. However, England regained control when Bukayo Saka completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot in the 87th minute. Ousmane Dembele scored late for France, but Jude Bellingham sealed England's 6-4 victory in stoppage time.

Deschamps said France had a talented squad capable of achieving more and praised the team's journey despite the disappointment. He highlighted the positive moments, the emotions shared with millions of French fans, and called his time with the team a wonderful experience.

"We came here with a lot of ambition. We managed to do quite a few positive things. We fell short in our match against Spain. It's not all a total loss. We have a quality squad, young players who will continue to move up the ranks. We had the talent to keep achieving very good results. On a personal level, it's been a truly wonderful journey with them. We spent eight weeks together since the start of our preparations. It was wonderful. The disappointment lies in the sporting aspect, but we had the opportunity to stir up emotions, and millions of French people were able to experience those emotions. It's the World Cup--there's nothing more beautiful than that," he said.

The loss marked the end of a brilliant 14-year journey of Deschamps as France manager. He took charge of France in 2012, guided the team to the 2018 FIFA World Cup title and another final in 2022 before their 2026 campaign ended with a semi-final loss to Spain.

— ANI