France blames itself and questions referee quality after World Cup semifinal loss to Spain

Spain ended France's World Cup campaign with a decisive 2-0 victory in the semifinal at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday night. The result left French players and coach Didier Deschamps grappling with a performance they described as technically insufficient, punctuated by pointed questions about the officiating of Salvadoran referee Iván Barton.

French self-criticism

Rayan Cherki, the Manchester City attacker who entered as a second-half substitute for the ineffective Olise, delivered the night's most striking assessment. He insisted France's downfall came from within, not from the referee or their opponents.

It's incredibly tough, we had everything to reach the final. To be honest, I think all the teams feared us and the only team that beat us was ourselves. We defeated ourselves. We didn't lose against the referee. We didn't lose against Spain. We lost against ourselves.

He conceded that Luis de la Fuente's side played to its strengths while France did not, acknowledging Spain was superior in all facets and appeared to want the victory more. Kylian Mbappé echoed the sentiment of technical shortfall, stating France had been below the required level against a team that performed very well. He pointed to a lack of offensive danger and errors in passing that might otherwise have created scoring chances, accepting that Spain had shown something more psychologically and mentally.

Deschamps on the referee

Didier Deschamps recognized Spain's clear technical superiority but repeatedly returned to the appointment of Iván Barton. The French coach did not deliver a direct accusation but framed his discontent as a question he left for journalists to answer themselves.

If I say anything, I'll seem like a sore loser because we lost. But I ask you: does this referee have the level to referee a semifinal? It's not just the penalty. It's an accumulation of things.

He referenced the penalty awarded against Digne for a foul on Lamine Yamal, converted by Mikel Oyarzabal for the opening goal, but stressed his dissatisfaction extended across multiple situations that he considered unfavorable to France. In interviews with M6 and beIN Sport, he questioned whether Barton had the necessary quality for a match of this magnitude and insisted his view was not shaped solely by the defeat.

Spain's control and France's limits

Deschamps admitted his team was prevented from playing its preferred style. Spain's ability to intercept attacks early and its control of possession forced France into a reactive posture, nullifying the rapid transitions that had overwhelmed earlier opponents. The coach noted a lack of technical precision and energy, pointing to his half-time substitution of Adrien Rabiot as a reflection of his dissatisfaction with the passing that failed to launch counter-attacks. Mbappé, left isolated by the breakdown in France's build-up play, was the main casualty of a system that could not spring its quick forward line of Dembélé, Barcola and the captain himself.

End of an era

Multiple sources reported that the defeat closes Deschamps' tenure of over a decade, with Zinedine Zidane expected to take charge. The coach declined to confirm whether the upcoming third-place match against the loser of the Argentina-England semifinal would be his last, stating only that he remained fully committed to preparing the team for Saturday's fixture. He asked that the team's achievements not be dismissed because of one loss, while reiterating that Spain had simply shown more on the night.

Spain showed something more than us in this match. We have to accept it; this is the highest level, even though it hurts.