Jakarta, ThedailyID — Rayan Cherki admitted Spain outperformed France in every area after Les Bleus suffered a 2-0 defeat in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinal on Tuesday, July 15.
France entered the match with an impressive run from the group stage but failed to match Spain’s intensity at Dallas Stadium.
Cherki acknowledged that Spain deserved the victory and said his team struggled throughout the contest.
“I don’t know what to say. They were better than us in every aspect of the game, and I think they wanted to win more,” Cherki told ESPN.
The Manchester City midfielder admitted the result was painful because he still believes France has a stronger squad.
However, he said Spain produced the better performance when it mattered most.
“Even when we weren’t at our best, we should have performed better technically, tactically, and mentally,” he said.
Cherki also admitted France failed to execute its game plan against the Spanish side.
“In many ways, France lost everything today. Nothing worked the way we wanted,” he said.
Despite the disappointment, Cherki promised the team would learn from the defeat.
“We’ll come back in four years, and we won’t make the same mistakes again,” he added.
Spain advanced to the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, while France saw its title hopes come to an end.
