Kylian Mbappé-led France falls flat in World Cup loss to Spain when hopes for a title were high

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Kylian Mbappé had France poised for another run to the World Cup final with a team that seemingly had the offensive firepower to solve Spain's stout defense.

Instead, Les Bleus had no answers in a 2-0 semifinal loss at the home of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday in what is presumably coach Didier Deschamps' final appearance on soccer's biggest stage.

Deschamps, who has said this would be his last World Cup, won a title as a player in 1998 and again as a coach eight years ago in Russia before leading France to the final in 2022 in Qatar. Argentina won that championship in a penalty shootout.

“I’ve been lucky as a player to enjoy happy moments,” Deschamps said through a translator, while also saying it wasn't yet time to discuss his future. “Today is not such a moment. But I think we must accept it without forgetting everything that we’ve experienced so far. But today’s feeling is that I am not happy.”

The disappointment reverberated from Texas across the Atlantic Ocean. A number of clashes reportedly broke out in Paris, with incidents between law enforcement and young people also reported in Lyon.

French media lamented that their team had been unable to reproduce the exhilarating performances it had delivered while never trailing in its first six World Cup matches.

L’Équipe, France’s leading sports newspaper, noted that Deschamps’ players had been outplayed in every aspect of the game, “unable to live up to their dreams and to the hope they had inspired.”

Those players didn't disagree, although Mbappé was quick to defend his coach, and said he would play hard for Deschamps in the third-place match against the Argentina-England loser on Saturday in Miami Gardens, Florida.

“Nothing changed about what Didier means to us as a French people. As a manager, as a player, he wrote an amazing story,” said the France captain, who got a quick hug from his coach on the sideline after the final whistle. “There’s one game left for him, so we’re going to try to play the best game for him because he deserves it, and also the fans deserve to have a win and finish third in this World Cup.”

The dangerous playmaking of Mbappé, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise never showed up in what ended up being Spain's sixth clean sheet in seven World Cup appearances this year.

Mbappé's best chance came in the 67th minute when his shot deflected off Spain defender Marc Cucurella and went just wide. La Roja already had a two-goal lead at that point.

The 27-year-old Mbappé, who entered the day level with Argentina superstar Lionel Messi for the tournament lead in goals with eight, showed some frustration with a yellow card in the 86th minute. He rushed toward Unai Simón just as the Spain goalkeeper was bending over to pick up the ball. The two collided, sending Simón to the grass.

“In so many ways, France was missing everything today,” Rayan Cherki said through a translator. “We’ll be back in four years, and we won’t make the same mistakes.”

Associated Press writer Samuel Petrequin in Paris contributed to this report.

See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

Marie Dalnard and her brother Alexander, 11, watch as France falls behind Spain at a World Cup semifinal soccer watch party, Tuesday, July 14, 2026, in Miami Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

France head coach Didier Deschamps leaves the pitch at the end of the World Cup semifinal soccer match between France and Spain in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Tuesday, July 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

France's Dayot Upamecano, left, and Aurelien Tchouameni (8) stand dejected after the World Cup semifinal soccer match between France and Spain in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Tuesday, July 14, 2026.(AP Photo/Eric Gay)

France's Kylian Mbappe (10) and Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon (23) shake hands after the World Cup semifinal soccer match between France and Spain in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Tuesday, July 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

France's Desire Doue covers his face after his side's lost against in a World Cup semifinal soccer match in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Tuesday, July 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

BEIRUT (AP) — After two days of U.S.-mediated talks in Rome, Lebanon and Israel took steps toward implementing “pilot zones” in southern Lebanon where Israeli forces would withdraw and turn over control to the Lebanese army, the U.S. State Department said Wednesday.

The latest Israel-Hezbollah war began when the Lebanese militant group fired rockets into Israel days after Israel and the U.S. launched their war on Iran on Feb. 28. Israel invaded Lebanon and has since occupied a large swathe of the country’s south. Hezbollah has been vehemently opposed to the direct Lebanon-Israel talks.

The State Department said in a statement that the talks were “productive” and the parties “agreed on the structure and guidelines for the pilot zone process, to be finalized and implemented in the coming days.”

There was no immediate statement from Lebanon or Israel on the outcome of the negotiations.

Lebanon and Israel announced a “framework agreement” on June 26, laying out a plan for Israeli forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon, in exchange for the disarmament of the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group. It also envisions steps toward an eventual peace agreement between the two countries — which technically remain in a state of war nearly 80 years after Israel’s establishment.

The deal was supposed to begin with two “pilot zones” where the Israeli military is to turn over control to the Lebanese army, which would clear the areas of any Hezbollah presence. However, implementation on the ground had stalled ahead of this week’s talks.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, who is slated to visit Washington on July 21, said in a statement ahead of the Rome talks that instructions had been given to the Lebanese delegation “to demand the immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces from the two pilot zones before any further discussions.”

Wednesday's statement did not specify where the pilot zones would be, but Lebanese and Israeli officials previously said they would include the towns of Froun, Ghandouriyeh and Zawtar.

The designated zones generated some controversy in Lebanon because Israeli troops were not present in most of the selected area to begin with, raising questions about how a withdrawal could take place. The Lebanese army had pushed for pilot zones that were larger and included more area occupied by Israeli forces.

The State Department said Wednesday that following implementation of the pilot zones, “we will move to expanded technical talks ... with the aim of reaching a comprehensive agreement between Israel and Lebanon.

Hezbollah and Iran had sought to link the end of the war in Lebanon to the outcome of broader U.S.-Iran talks. The Lebanese government, trying to minimize Iran’s influence, aimed to keep the two tracks separate and negotiate a ceasefire directly with Israel.”

The Lebanese militant group has said it will not abide by the agreement and has no plans to disarm. Israeli officials, meanwhile, have said publicly that they plan an extended occupation of southern Lebanon.

U.S. President Donald Trump, in an interview with Fox News, a clip of which was aired Wednesday, said he wants to see Israel withdraw or “redeploy” forces from Lebanon as well as from a strip it is occupying in southern Syria.

“Southern Syria and from parts of Lebanon, yeah, it would be good to get out, I think, and I think you might see things get a little bit calmer,” Trump said, adding, “We have to focus our energy on the big leagues. The big leagues are Iran.”

Trump also once again repeated his proposal for Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa to send forces into Lebanon to “take care of” Hezbollah, saying that al-Sharaa “would be more precise” than Israel.

Al-Sharaa has said publicly that he wants Syria to stay out of the regional war and has no desire to intervene militarily in Lebanon.

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Associated Press writer Farnoush Amiri in New York contributed to this report.

Reporters stand in front of the United States' Embassy in Rome, where ambassadors-level talks between Israel and Lebanon are expected to take place Tuesday, July 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Italian police patrols in front of the United States' Embassy in Rome, where Lebanese and Israeli delegations were set to meet Tuesday, July 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

A motorcade arrives at the United States' Embassy in Rome, Italy, where ambassadors-level talks between Israel and Lebanon are expected to take place, Tuesday, July 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)