"They were better in everything" - Antoine Griezmann makes honest Spain admission after France's Euro 2024 S/F loss
French star Antoine Griezmann has opened up after France's disappointing 2-1 loss to Spain in the Euro 2024 semi-finals on July 10 in Munich. Manager Didier Deschamps benched Griezmann for the match but he came on as a substitute in the 62nd minute.
In an interview with Telefoot, Griezmann bitterly admitted that Spain was much better as a team than France. He also admitted that Les Bleus failed to stop Lamine Yamal from scoring despite knowing the left foot is his strength. The 16-year-old scored the equalized in the 21st minute.
"They were better than us. We knew they could hit the ball well from distance and we let them shoot from distance. We knew Lamine is left-footed and we let him hit it with his left foot. The equaliser hurt us and the second goal four minutes later killed us," Griezmann said.
The French star was honest in his claims and did not make any excuses for their poor performance. He reiterated that La Roja were better than them in every aspect.
"That's football, we lacked that today. It was our strong point from the start but we lost against a strong Spain. No excuses about having legs cut off or anything, they played extra time too. They were better in everything," he added.
Deschamps' decision to bench Griezmann in favor of attacker Randal Kolo Muani proved fruitful for the French at first. He scored an early header in the ninth minute, giving France the lead.
However, the French hopes were dashed pretty soon, as Lamine Yamal scored a stunning left-footed curler in the 21st minute. Dani Olmo then sealed the deal with another banger in the 25th minute, giving the Spaniards a 2-1 lead.
They successfully held on to the lead while the French attack failed to capitalize on their chances for the rest of the game. Despite coming on as a substitute for N'Golo Kante in the second half, Antoine Griezmann couldn't do much to help the team either.
Kylian Mbappe opens up after France's Euro 2024 semi-final loss to Spain
In the post-match press conference after France's 2-1 loss to Spain, Kylian Mbappe made an honest claim of his Euros being a failure. The Frenchman admitted that he was not good enough in the tournament.
“In football you’re good or not good. I wasn’t good. My Euro was a failure," he said (via Fabrizio Romano).
Mbappe revealed his plans going forward for the rest of his break before beginning the next season as a Real Madrid player in Spain. The Frenchman left Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent this summer to join the Spanish giants.
“I wanted to be European champion… I will now go on holiday, I will rest well, it will do me a lot of good, then I will get ready to start a new life. There's a lot to do," Mbappe added.
Kylian Mbappe scored one goal and provided one assist at Euro 2024. He is expected to join pre-season training with Real Madrid soon after his holidays.