One Extraordinary Photo: France's Kylian Mbappe shows his frustration against Spain

France was running out of time, trailing Spain 2-0 in their semifinal match with less than 10 minutes left in regulation. Every missed goal attempt was followed by visible frustration from France’s Kylian Mbappe. This photo was made in the 81st minute when Mbappe took a pass with a very open field and Spain’s goalkeeper Unai Simon leaving the penalty box to clear the path for a breakaway attack by Mbappe. With Simon away from his net, France had a clear shot at cutting the deficit in half. Instead, Spain dropped back and avoided allowing a goal. Mbappe looked in disbelief, put his hands over his face and hunched over, reacting to yet another failed scoring attempt.

How I made this photo

Since the play was happening on Spain’s side of the pitch, I had my telephoto 400mm lens aimed at a luxury suite behind the team benches. That’s where David Beckham was sitting. Since the action was not near my side, I had the luxury to look up for celebrities up in the stands. However, when the breakaway happened, I quickly turned my attention back to the pitch. It took me a second to switch from the camera with the long lens to the camera with a Sony G-Master 50-150 F2 lens to get the action. After the scoring opportunity was denied and the action was over, I kept that camera fixated on Mbappe to show his reaction to missing a pivotal shot. He was clearly upset and frustrated. Then, he put his hands on his face and hunched over for a couple seconds allowing me to make this image without other players near him.

Why it works

France was looking to get back to the championship game, but with the score 2-0 late in the game those chances were beginning to look slim. A victory over Spain would have meant a third-straight trip to the championship for France and Mbappe. But as it turns out, Spain’s defense was able to negate every attempt from the French. Mbappe was clearly frustrated throughout the match, including getting a yellow card on a different play against Simon. In a semifinal match, the emotions run high. The winner will be very elated while the loser will have to deal with the feelings of defeat. This image gives a good example on the latter feelings.

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