France’s Rayan Cherki following Spain defeat: ‘The only team capable of knocking us out was ourselves.’

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15 July 2026

Whilst Didier Deschamps complained about the quality of refereeing as

France

exited the 2026

FIFA

World Cup

at the semi-final stage,

Rayan Cherki

(22) laid the blame on him and his teammates.

Les Bleus

had been touted as the favourites to win the

thanks to their performances throughout the campaign. However, there were no signs of the free-flowing attacking performances evidenced throughout the summer in Dallas.

La Roja

effectively stifled

to reach Sunday’s final (2-0). In a post-match mixed zone interview attended by

Get French Football News,

Cherki wasn’t looking for excuses.

“We are immensely disappointed because we lost against ourselves. We didn’t lose against the referee or

Spain

,”

said the

Manchester City

forward.

Cherki continued,

“You all know that we scared everyone. The only team capable of knocking us out was ourselves.”

France must now console themselves with having to face either Argentina or England in the third-place play-off on Saturday.

GFFN

Luke Entwistle

Man City 2026 World Cup Watch: Rodri inspires Spain into final at expense of Rayan Cherki and France

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Man City 2026 World Cup Watch: Rayan Cherki woes continue as France reach semi-final with Morocco win

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Rodri helps Spain reach World Cup final with victory over France

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Cherki's France reach World Cup semi-finals

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