Deschamps questions referee’s performance after France’s World Cup semi-final exit

By Sanjay Menon — 15 July 2026 — 3 min read

France manager Didier Deschamps expressed frustration with the officiating following his team’s World Cup semi-final defeat to Spain. The match, held in Dallas on Tuesday, saw Spain secure a 2-0 victory, ending France‘s hopes for a third consecutive World Cup final appearance.

Deschamps stopped short of directly blaming the referee, Salvadoran official Iván Arcides Barton Cisneros, for France‘s exit. However, he questioned the overall standard of officiating during the contest, particularly highlighting a first-half penalty awarded to Spain.

The decisive moment occurred in the 22nd minute when Lamine Yamal was fouled by Lucas Digne inside the box. Digne had miscontrolled the ball, allowing Yamal to gain possession before being kicked. Mikel Oyarzabal converted the penalty, giving Spain an early lead.

Deschamps remarked, “If I say anything, I’ll look like a sore loser because we lost. But I ask you: is the referee up to the task of officiating a semifinal? There’s the penalty, but that’s not all; it adds to everything else. I have nothing against the referee tonight, but ask yourselves the question.”

Despite his concerns about the referee, Deschamps acknowledged that France‘s performance was not sufficient. He stated that the team needed to be at their best to have any hope, but unfortunately, they were not.

Spain extended their lead in the 58th minute with a goal from Pedro Porro, assisted by Dani Olmo. By this point, Spain had already taken eight shots compared to France‘s two and had won nearly 60 percent of all duels.

France ultimately managed 10 attempts, but only one was from within 13 metres of the goal, and just three tested the goalkeeper. Their first shot on target did not come until the 81st minute. Notably, Kylian Mbappe, a key player, failed to register a single shot on target during the match.

Deschamps commented on Spain‘s defensive strategy, saying, “Today Spain defended extremely well. They left us very little space. On top of that, because we made technical mistakes, it became difficult to create problems for them. Our technical level was below what we’d shown in previous matches.”

France’s World Cup Journey Concludes

This defeat marks France‘s third successive loss to Spain. Deschamps‘ 14-year tenure as France manager will conclude with the upcoming third-place playoff on Saturday.

France‘s World Cup campaign is not entirely over, as Les Bleus are scheduled to play in the third-place playoff on Saturday against the loser of Wednesday’s semi-final between England and Argentina.

Deschamps‘ reign began with a World Cup triumph in 2018, followed by a defeat in the 2022 final. This tournament saw France looking strong for another title shot until their encounter with Spain.

The penalty incident was a point of contention, with some suggesting that while there was contact in the box against an offensive player who touched the ball, Yamal did not have possession, making it a difficult call for France to accept. The penalty kick significantly altered the flow of the game in Spain‘s favour.

Despite the controversy, Spain‘s victory was considered well-deserved by some, as they demonstrated superior performance throughout the semi-final. Spain has now advanced to Sunday’s final, aiming for their second World Cup championship.

Deschamps‘ final match as France coach will be the third-place game on Saturday.

Source: hindustantimes.com