France went into halftime trailing England 0-4 in Miami. And there, in that locker room, something broke.
Adrien Rabiot, 31, held nothing back afterward. The AC Milan midfielder described certain behaviors by his teammates during that disastrous first half as “unacceptable”, although he avoided naming names. The halftime talk worked only halfway: France responded and the match ended 6-4, but the damage had already been done.
Didier Deschamps, who was managing his final match after 14 years in charge, admitted that the performance was “catastrophic” and blamed himself for not reacting sooner. Mbappé also engaged in self-criticism, and Koundé regretted ending the tournament with two consecutive defeats. Now Zinedine Zidane’s name is being mentioned to take charge of a national team that needs, above all, to rebuild itself from within.
