DALLAS — Didier Deschamps didn’t hold back after France’s World Cup semifinal loss to Spain. But the frustration wasn’t just about the 2-0 scoreline.
The French manager questioned whether Salvadoran referee Ivan Barton belonged in a game of this magnitude, suggesting the officiating wasn’t up to the standard required for a World Cup semifinal. Deschamps didn’t explicitly say the referee cost his team the match. He just raised the question and left it hanging.
“Next, I’ll ask a question, but I’m not going to answer it,” Deschamps said after the loss. “Is the referee qualified to officiate a World Cup semi-final? We’ve had a few of those, and I’m not going to answer that. And it’s not because we lost that I’m saying this, but there were certain situations… Often against us too.”
A penalty that changed the game
The decisive moment came in the first half when Lucas Digne caught Lamine Yamal while clearing a bouncing ball in the box. Barton pointed to the spot, and Mikel Oyarzabal buried the penalty to put Spain ahead. France never recovered.
Deschamps admitted his team got outplayed. “There’s obviously a lot of disappointment,” he said. “The players are devastated because we had high hopes. Even so, we have to be realistic and acknowledge that today we were a step behind technically against a team that played very well. It’s our fault, first and foremost.”
Barton is an experienced referee in Concacaf competitions. This was his second World Cup and his fourth match of the tournament. But Deschamps seemed unconvinced that experience translated to the right level for a semifinal.
An end of an era for France
The loss also marked the end of Deschamps’ run as France manager. He led Les Bleus to a World Cup title in 2018 and a runner-up finish in 2022. After Saturday’s third-place match against either England or Argentina, he’s expected to hand the reins to Zinedine Zidane.
France just couldn’t generate much offensively against a dominant Spanish midfield. The frontline never got going, and Spain controlled the rhythm from start to finish. It was a flat ending for a manager who had delivered so much.
Spain moves on to Sunday’s final. France gets a consolation game that nobody in that locker room wanted to play.
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