France's Kylian Mbappe
Shattered French striker Kylian Mbappe said on Tuesday after his failed penalty against Switzerland cost the world champions a place in the Euro 2020 quarterfinals that it would be "very difficult to turn the page" and that his "sadness is immense".
Switzerland knocked France out in a 5-4 penalty shoot-out win following a thrilling 3-3 draw after extra time, reaching the quarterfinals of Euro 2020 here.
Switzerland goalkeeper Yann Sommer denied Mbappe's spot kick by diving to his right and getting a strong hand to the striker's effort, swatting it away to send his team through.
Mbappe, who plays for French giants Paris Saint-Germain, posted a picture of his with the Swiss team celebrating in the background, and wrote a heartfelt message to his French fans.
"Very difficult to turn the page. The sadness is immense after this elimination; we could not reach our goal. I'm sorry for this penalty. I wanted to help the team but I failed. Finding sleep will be difficult but unfortunately it is the ups and downs of this sport that I love so much," wrote 22-year-old Mbappe.
"I know you fans have been disappointed, but I would still like to thank you for your support and for always believing in us. The most important thing will be to get up even stronger for the next upcoming deadlines. Congratulations and good luck to Switzerland."
An ecstatic opposing team captain, Granit Xhaka, spoke about his team's unbreakable passion.
"We have shown character. This team is incredible," said the Arsenal midfielder in a statement. "We made many of our critics silent. No one really believed we could do it."
