Rayan Cherki reveals France was missing ‘everything’ in World Cup loss to Spain

Tournament favorites France was handed a stunningly breezy exit at the hands of an efficient Spain team in Dallas. Rayan Cherki was among the bench options thrown in by Didier Deschamps late into the game as France attempted to mount a comeback.

And well, the Manchester City man told Fox Sports’ Jenny Taft post-game that his team lacked ‘everything’ in the game.

@JennyTaft caught up with France midfielder Rayan Cherki after the loss to Spain in the FIFA World Cup Semifinals pic.twitter.com/B2Y9D6it4w

— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 14, 2026

“In so many ways France was missing everything today, these World Cups only come around every four years maybe, not the one for us but really everything was missing today,” he said.

Cherki then claimed that France will not repeat the same mistakes when they return after four years. But well, the game came down as much to Spanish brilliance as to French inefficiencies.

The duo of Rodri and Dani Olmo had a monopoly on possession, and France were met by a determined defence that had multiple standouts. Lamine Yamal had an enjoyable time on the right wing against Lucas Digne, winning a penalty that Mikel Oyarzabal converted in the 22nd minute.

From that moment on, Spain continued to threaten regularly on the break. The possession split suggests a close game in which France had 49% of the possession. However, much of that was non-threatening, with the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele hardly getting involved.

Michael Olise had an uncharacteristically off-night, being languid in possession multiple times. Deschamps brought on Manu Kone at halftime after William Saliba came off in the 29th minute due to a hamstring injury. However, France looked a far cry from the delightful offensive levels they had attained in previous games no matter who was on the pitch.

Cherki, who himself has had little gametime throughout the tournament, will undoubtedly look to learn from the experience. The City man will also return home disappointed that he himself did not get more opportunities of helping his team. Despite not having the same kind of big names, Spain played their expressive brand of football with no fear, keeping France at bay as well as anyone may remember in recent history.

They will now be thoroughly optimistic of their chances in the Final, where they will face either England, or defending champions Argentina.

The post Rayan Cherki reveals France was missing ‘everything’ in World Cup loss to Spain appeared first on ClutchPoints.