France’s World Cup campaign came to a screeching halt on Tuesday as they fell to Spain 0-2 in the semifinals, ending their six-match winning streak. The defeat marked their third consecutive semifinal exit against La Roja, following similar setbacks at Euro 2024 and the 2025 Nations League. Despite their strong form, the French side struggled to impose themselves against Spain’s cohesive and technically superior team.

“We were technically inferior. It’s our fault,” admitted Didier Deschamps in his post-match interview. However, the France manager also raised concerns about the referee’s performance during the high-stakes encounter. “I’ll ask this question: does the referee have the level to officiate a semifinal? I won’t answer it myself. There were several key situations…” he stated.

Deschamps expanded on his criticism in a later interview: “If I speak up, people will call me a complainer because we lost. But ask yourselves: does this referee have the level for a semifinal? There was the penalty incident, but that’s not all—there were other questionable calls. I have no personal issue with tonight’s referee, but consider the question.”

“I don’t believe the referee favored either team”

Luis de la Fuente fired back at Deschamps’ remarks during his press conference. “When a result slips away, people often look for excuses… We’ve also faced tough refereeing moments, like against Uruguay. The referees want the game to flow,” he countered.

He continued: “If Deschamps truly meant what he said… both teams dealt with the same officiating. I don’t think the referee favored either side. They disallowed a goal for offside, but I’m not dwelling on the refereeing. We all need to improve—referees, VAR, and players alike—to make this beautiful game even better.”

Spain’s captain Rodri also weighed in on the refereeing debate. “This is our third match dealing with these issues. We’re talking about 10 or 15 uncalled fouls. If they’re not penalized, defenders keep playing the same way. Today was particularly noticeable, but the referee delivered a strong performance,” he remarked, referring to the physical challenges endured by Lamine Yamal during the game.

With individual performances falling short and potential tactical missteps from Deschamps, France will aim to salvage pride in the third-place playoff on Saturday at 11 PM, the final match under his leadership. Meanwhile, Spain eyes a second World Cup title (after 2010) against either Argentina or England in the final.