France's Deschamps questions referee's credentials after lopsided loss to Spain

France manager Didier Deschamps voiced sharp criticism of the referee after his side fell to a heavy defeat against Spain, ending their bid to reach the 2026 World Cup final.

France lost 2-0 to Spain in the tournament's semifinal at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas, on Wednesday (Korean Standard Time).

The result dashed France's hopes of claiming a third World Cup title — having previously won the tournament on home soil in 1998 and in Russia in 2018 — at the final hurdle.

France had been in devastating form heading into the match, scoring 16 goals across their previous six games, but they could not find the net once against Spain and fell to a listless defeat.

Speaking to reporters immediately after the match, Deschamps acknowledged his team's shortcomings. "The players are in shock," he said. "We have to admit that we were technically inferior to Spain, who controlled the game well."

He added that "our own mistakes come first and I don't want to blame anyone," but he did not hold back his criticism of referee Ivan Barton of El Salvador.

Barton awarded a penalty in the 20th minute after ruling that Lucas Digne had fouled Lamine Yamal.

France's protests went unheeded, and Mikel Oyarzabal converted the spot kick, drilling the ball into the upper right corner of the net to give Spain the lead.

"I'm going to ask a sharp question without expecting an answer: is this referee really at the level required to officiate a World Cup semifinal?" Deschamps said. "I'm not saying this because we lost on Wednesday. There were several situations" involving the officiating.

Deschamps, who took charge of the national team in July 2012, has led France at four consecutive World Cups starting from the 2014 tournament in Brazil.

He finishes his World Cup record with 21 wins, three draws and three losses across 27 matches — the most victories by any manager in World Cup history — but will step down from the role following the tournament.