​Spain beat France 2-0 to reach the World Cup final, but the celebrations barely got to breathe before the conversation moved elsewhere as many pointed to the standards of refereeing. Then Didier Deschamps stood in front of the cameras afterward and demanded an answer.“A couple of decisions that were made are questionable… Sincerely, the fourth and fifth officials were great… I had really calm and collected discussions with them, but are the referees of today up to the task of a semifinal? I hope someone has the answer for us,” said Didier Deschamps after the loss.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe French coach said that he was unhappy with several moments of the game. And the one that immediately comes to mind is the first-half penalty awarded when Lucas Digne, attempting to play the ball inside the box, kicked Lamine Yamal unknowingly. Referee Iván Barton pointed to the spot immediately.Mikel Oyarzabal hence converted the penalty to give Spain a lead France would never recover from. Deschamps himself was careful not to let the referee narrative become a full excuse. “It’s not just the penalty in question, it’s an accumulation of things,” he added. And then, with characteristic self-awareness: “If I say anything, I’ll look like a crybaby because we lost.”Instead, he gave Spain the credit they deserved and accepted that France were simply not good enough. For a team chasing a 3rd straight World Cup final, this was a difficult reality to accept.France entered the semifinal with one of the tournament’s strongest attacks, scoring 16 goals in their first 6 games. But against Spain, that attack completely disappeared as La Roja controlled the match from the opening minute. Spain’s midfield took charge, with Rodri and Dani Olmo constantly winning battles and keeping France away from making those dangerous runs. By the time the final whistle arrived, it was clear that France never found a way into the game.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementEven France’s own players admitted Spain were better on the night.Talking about how Spain controlled the tempo of the game throughout the 90 minutes, Rayan Cherki said, “We knew their main strength was their ability to play at a false tempo. At times we should have done the same. It was more difficult than we expected.”Michael Olise also praised Spain, saying, “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.”Now France must regroup for the 3rd-place match before Deschamps officially ends his tenure as France’s manager and HC. He guided France to 3 World Cup semifinals and 2 finals.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSpain, meanwhile, move closer to their 2nd World Cup title after proving they could handle the pressure of the biggest stage.Trending ArticlesThe post “A Couple of Decisions Are Questionable”: Fren