Kylian Mbappe was seen taking referee Michael Oliver’s watch after his team’s Nations League elimination last night.
France suffered a 5-4 defeat against world champions Spain in a remarkable semi-final held in Stuttgart, despite having been down 5-1 before launching a late comeback in the final thirty minutes.
A brace from Lamine Yamal, along with goals from Nico Williams, Mikel Merino, and Pedri, had given Spain the upper hand.
However, Mbappe’s penalty was succeeded by goals from Rayan Cherki, a Dani Vivian own goal, and Randal Kolo Muani’s late header, ensuring that Les Bleus did not go down without a struggle.
After failing to score another goal to push the match into extra time, France will now have to prepare for a third-place playoff against Germany on Sunday afternoon.
Despite conceding five goals for the first time since a 5-0 defeat to England in 1969, Mbappe holds the referee accountable for their narrow miss of a place in the final, expressing his frustration over the insufficient added time at the end.
Mbappe, who once again failed to secure a trophy after concluding his inaugural season with Real Madrid without any silverware following France’s defeat in the Nations League semi-final on Thursday night, was seen conversing with the referee alongside several other French players after the match ended.
Based on his comments in the post-match interview, and his apparent glance at Michael Oliver’s watch (see the incident below), the 26-year-old expressed dissatisfaction with the amount of added time that was allocated.
According to beIN Sports, he stated: