ARSENAL legend Emmanuel Petit has slammed Paul Pogba following France’s Euro 2020 exit as he claimed he ‘lost the plot’ against Switzerland.
The World Cup champions crashed out at the last-16 stage after losing on penalties against Vladimir Petkovic’s men having squandered a two-goal lead.
Pogba thought he had banged in the winner for Les Bleus after his curling strike from distance nestled into the top right corner to put his side 3-1 up.
But a lapse in concentration moments later allowed Haris Seferovic to pull one back, before Mario Gavranovic fired in a dramatic stoppage time equaliser.
The Manchester United midfielder’s mistake saw Adrien Rabiot confront him on the pitch, resulting in the latter’s mum arguing with Pogba’s family in the stands.
Petit has hit out at his compatriots for their early exit, as he told Paddy Power: “There was one incident – Pogba lost the ball for the second Swiss goal – and France collapsed.
“We lost everything. Concentration, team spirit, desire – and the tie. Worst of all, we started fighting on the pitch between ourselves.
“There was a big clash between Rabiot and Pogba, who lost the plot, after the second Swiss goal and from then on we had no control, no confidence.
“We looked average – it’s hard to explain. [Kylian] Mbappe was asking for more responsibilities before the tournament, and there were stories about not passing the ball to [Olivier] Giroud.
“There was even fighting in the stands between Rabiot, Mbappe and Pogba’s families after the second goal – Rabiot’s mother said Mbappe’s big head is spoiling the team.
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“Then Mbappe penalty is saved in the shootout. We looked so far away from the World Cup-winning team.
“It reminds me of our team in 2002, when we went out in the group stage of the World Cup. It’s a real shame because it doesn’t need to be like this.”
There may have been arguments on the pitch between the squad, but there was already unrest in the France team before the tournament even started.
Kylian Mbappe and Olivier Giroud quarrelled with each other following the friendly against Bulgaria after the Chelsea ace stated the Paris Saint-Germain man refused to pass to him.
And L’Equipe then declared that there was a bitter atmosphere in the squad prior to their opening game against Germany.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
