Kylian Mbappe has brutally been named France's worst player from their narrow Euro 2024 quarter-final victory over Portugal.
France megastar Mbappe has been slammed for another 'poor' performance by L'Equipe, the French newspaper who are notorious for their ruthless player ratings. The new Real Madrid forward endured another frustrating night while donning a protective face mask after breaking his nose in France's first game of the tournament.
Unlike in their round-of-16 clash with Belgium, France spent most of the quarter-final on the back foot and gave Portugal a series of chances to win the game. But Didier Deschamps' men rode their luck and were clinical when it came to penalties, winning the shootout 5-3.
By then, though, Mbappe was stood on the sidelines. The 25-year-old had asked to be withdrawn at half-time of extra-time, revealing post-match that he was 'too tired' to continue.
L'Equipe don't have much sympathy, however, giving him a score of just 2/10, the lowest on the French team. Antoine Griezmann got the next-lowest, earning just 3/10.
On Mbappe, their analysis read: "While he is supposed to give speed to the game, he slowed it down. He was not served either but it is all the more difficult to find him since he no longer puts his head at all and does not dare to go into duels. Apart from a blocked shot (67th minute) and another too weak (90th+3), his record is poor."
As for Griezmann, who was hooked before extra-time, they added: "He should have been more comfortable but his influence on the game was at best erratic, too often insufficient, struggling to turn around to direct and drive something. Replaced by Ousmane Dembele (67th) who brought dynamism, made differences and even grazed the woodwork (74th)."
Your turn! Were L'Equipe too harsh on Kylian Mbappe? Let us know your rating in the comments section
Two players in the Portugal side were handed similarly brutal scores, with Cristiano Ronaldo given a 3/10 in his fifth game without a goal while Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes managed just 2/10 after he was withdrawn before the initial 90 minutes were up.
But while Ronaldo and Fernandes are now forced to wallow in their defeat, Mbappe and Griezmann will have the chance to silence their critics when France face Spain in a mouth-watering semi-final clash on Tuesday. Spain beat hosts Germany in their quarter-final thanks to Mikel Merino's 119th-minute header.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.