Deschamps: “The refereeing? If I say something, I’ll look like a crybaby”

Spain has done it again, defeating France to book only the second World Cup final appearance in its history. After the match, Didier Deschamps, who was taking charge of France for the final time, cut a frustrated figure as he criticised both the refereeing and his team’s performance.

“The refereeing? If I say anything, I’ll look like a crybaby because we lost. But I ask you: was the referee up to officiating a semifinal? There’s the penalty, but it’s not just that, everything else adds up. I have nothing against the referee tonight, but ask yourselves the question,” the French coach said.

Deschamps, however, admitted that Spain deserved the victory: “The players are devastated, but we have to be honest: we were technically inferior. The main reason for the defeat is that we simply weren’t up to the task. We made technical errors and misplaced passes that could have created chances. This is the highest level. We’ll play the third-place match. I don’t want to dismiss everything we’ve achieved, but in this game Spain showed something more,” he said.

The French manager also praised Spain’s display: “I’m not thinking about myself. I prepared for the game with the players, and the objective was to give everything to reach the final. We didn’t achieve it, and the disappointment is huge. But that doesn’t take away from everything we’ve done. I also won’t take anything away from Spain. They controlled the match,” Deschamps added.

France midfielder Michael Olise echoed his coach’s assessment: “I don’t know if we lacked solutions or desire. Today, they won the ball back more easily than we did. If we had recovered possession more often, we could have hurt them. At half-time, the coach told us there were still 50 minutes to play and that we would get chances. We said the second goal would be crucial. If we had scored it, it would have been difficult for them to hold on. But that didn’t happen,” the Manchester City player said.

Olise also acknowledged Spain’s tactical superiority: “The disappointment is enormous. We knew their biggest strength was controlling the tempo. At times, we should have done the same. It was more difficult than we expected. I tried to inspire the comeback, but I don’t think it was a lack of desire. They were tactically better than us and better positioned. We tried to solve those problems, but we’re talking about a World Cup semifinal. At this level, everything comes down to the smallest details.”

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