July 9th 2024.
After France's disappointing loss to Spain in the Euro 2024 semi-final clash, football pundit Alan Shearer was quick to voice his frustration and anger at the performance of one particular French star. Ousmane Dembele, the Paris Saint-Germain forward, had a wasteful display on the right side of the field, failing to provide the attacking thrust needed to secure a win.
Despite taking an early lead through Randal Kolo Muani's header, France was unable to hold off Spain's quickfire comeback in the first half. Goals from Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo turned the game on its head, leaving France scrambling to equalize in the second half. Star players Kylian Mbappe and Theo Hernandez both squandered opportunities, and Spain ultimately held on to secure their spot in the final.
As the French team reflected on their defeat, Shearer was vocal in his criticism of Dembele's performance. In an interview with the BBC, the former England striker expressed his frustration at Dembele's wastefulness in front of goal. "Dembele was probably the most guilty of all in terms of being wasteful when he got into good positions," Shearer said. "It's so frustrating when you get into those positions and you're delivering crosses that are not good time after time. He had plenty of teammates in the box, but he kept hitting crosses straight at the keeper. It was a tough night for him, and I can only imagine how the players on the field were feeling."
France's manager, Didier Deschamps, also shared in the disappointment of the loss. He lamented his team's lack of efficiency in front of goal, which ultimately cost them a spot in the final. "We were able to open the scoring, which was great," Deschamps said after the game. "But Spain mastered the game better than us. We didn't perform as well as we could have, and we didn't play as vertically as I wanted. We pushed until the very end, but we just couldn't find the back of the net."
Deschamps also acknowledged the importance of being relaxed and hitting the target in high-pressure games like this one. He recognized that this was an area where his team fell short, despite their previous success in the tournament. "We made it to the semi-final and found a way to score, thanks to Kolo [Muani]," Deschamps said. "But we needed to be more efficient in front of goal. That's something we've been missing, and it would have made a big difference tonight."
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