Texas [US], July 15 (ANI): France head coach Didier Deschamps conceded that his side fell short against a superior Spain team after Les Bleus suffered a 2-0 defeat in the FIFA World Cup semifinal, admitting they were unable to match La Roja’s technical quality and tactical discipline, according to Reuters.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Deschamps praised Spain’s performance and said France needed to be at their very best to stand a chance of reaching the final.
‘Obviously, this Spain team are very strong, and they proved it tonight,’ Deschamps said, as quoted by Reuters.
‘We know the quality Spain possesses, and to have any chance of going through, we needed to be at our absolute best. We were not,’ he added.
The France coach also pointed to setbacks during the match, with defender William Saliba forced off injured and midfielder Adrien Rabiot having to curb his aggression after receiving an early booking.
Deschamps credited Spain’s pressing and defensive organisation for disrupting France’s attacking rhythm throughout the contest.
‘They are very good at linking their play and reading the direction of passes in order to intercept them,’ he said, as quoted by Reuters.
‘We did not find the solutions. The fact that we failed to reproduce the attacking and technical quality we had shown until now is partly our fault, but Spain also deserves credit for preventing us from doing so,’ he added.
Deschamps acknowledged Spain’s superiority on the night while praising his squad’s overall journey.
‘The disappointment is immense,’ Deschamps said.
‘This is a group of competitors, and seeing the journey end hurts. I do not want to throw away everything we have done, but in this match Spain showed they had something more,’ he added, as quoted by Reuters.
The French coach also questioned the standard of officiating during the semifinal, suggesting some decisions were debatable and raising concerns over whether referee Ivan Barton of El Salvador was suited to officiate a World Cup semifinal.
‘The fourth and the fifth official were top level; I chatted with them on the sideline,’ Deschamps said.
‘But the field referee… I won’t say anything, but I’m asking you: did he have the level for a World Cup semi-final?’ he added. (ANI)
