France’s World Cup journey ended in disappointment on Tuesday as they fell 0-2 to Spain in the semifinals, marking the third consecutive major tournament elimination at the hands of La Roja under Didier Deschamps. The French side, which had entered the match with impressive form, struggled to impose themselves against a disciplined and technically superior Spanish team.

Deschamps, reflecting on a performance that fell short of expectations, acknowledged his team’s shortcomings. “We were technically inferior. That’s on us,” he admitted during a post-match interview. Yet, he also raised questions about the officiating, questioning whether the referee was up to the task of handling a high-stakes semifinal. “I’ll ask: does the referee have the level to officiate a semifinal? I won’t answer that myself. There were several questionable situations…”