According to Tycsports, France coach Didier Deschamps admitted the team was not up to standard after losing 0-2 to Spain, and also complained about the referee.

The meritorious French coach, who will leave after the FIFA World Cup third-place play-off, stated that the team performed below its own level and that France was responsible for the semi-final defeat.

On Tuesday local time, France coach Didier Deschamps said that if France wanted to beat Spain in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-finals, they would have to "go all out, but that wasn't the case."

At a press conference after the 0-2 loss in Arlington, Deschamps expressed disappointment with the team's performance. He said: "We knew Spain defended very well and left us very little space. If the technical level was lower than in other games, we couldn't win. If we weren't at the required level technically and defensively, we couldn't win."

Deschamps added: "In this context, players can make mistakes, and for some players, this was their first FIFA World Cup semi-final. We didn't control the game the way we wanted to. We can't negate everything we've done before, but we should have created more difficulties for Spain and been 100% physically and technically." He said that the team's defeat was not due to a lack of ambition, but that some things were not done well.

In addition, Deschamps also complained about the officiating of Salvadoran referee Iván Barton. He said sarcastically: "The fourth official and fifth official were great, do you think the main referee was up to standard?" He then admitted that he didn't like the referee blowing the whistle for Digne's foul on Lamine Yamal and awarding Spain a penalty, but did not specify which other decisions he disagreed with.

Deschamps will leave the French team after this FIFA World Cup, saying: "I am happy with everything we have done with the national team, we won the FIFA World Cup and kept the team at the highest level. I have experienced very happy moments, but today I feel that I am not satisfied."

Finally, Deschamps concluded: "This is the last step before a possible final, so we will play the third-place play-off. We will play that game, which will not erase what we have already achieved. But in this game, Spain showed more."

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