By Julien Pretot
ARLINGTON, TX, July 14 (Reuters) - France coach Didier Deschamps conceded his side had been outclassed after Spain dismantled them 2-0 in Tuesday's World Cup semi-final, exposing technical, tactical and physical failings in a disappointing end to their quest for a third title.
France, widely regarded as one of the pre-tournament favourites, were second best throughout as Spain controlled midfield, cut off supply to Kylian Mbappe and punished a succession of French errors.
"Obviously,
this Spain team are very strong and they proved it tonight," Deschamps told a press conference.
"We were slightly below our usual level and made more technical mistakes than in previous matches. We were also a step short physically."
France had reached the last four on the strength of a fearsome attack, but Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise and Mbappe were all kept quiet as Spain denied them space and repeatedly regained possession.
Deschamps said his team had needed to operate at full capacity to trouble Spain but had fallen short in every key area.
"We know the quality Spain possess, and to have any chance of going through we needed to be at our absolute best," he said. "We were not."
France were also disrupted by an injury to defender William Saliba, while Adrien Rabiot had to temper his aggression after being booked early in the game.
Deschamps said Spain's ability to read passing lanes and break up attacks had prevented France from establishing any rhythm.
"They are very good at linking their play and reading the direction of passes in order to intercept them," he said.
"We did not find the solutions. The fact that we failed to reproduce the attacking and technical quality we had shown until now is partly our fault, but Spain also deserve credit for preventing us from doing so."
The defeat ended France's hopes of reaching a third successive World Cup final, four years after they lost to Argentina on penalties in Qatar.
Deschamps said the players had been devastated in the dressing room but refused to dismiss the progress they had made during the tournament.
"The disappointment is immense," he said. "This is a group of competitors, and seeing the journey end hurts.
"I do not want to throw away everything we have done, but in this match Spain showed they had something more."
France will now play in Saturday's third-place playoff against England or Argentina.
Deschamps also questioned the standard of the refereeing, saying several decisions had been open to debate and asking whether Salvadoran Ivan Barton had been up to the level required for a World Cup semi-final.
"The fourth and the fifth official were top level, I chatted with them on the sideline," the coach said. "But the field referee... I won't say anything but I'm asking you: did he have the level for a World Cup semi-final?"
(Reporting by Julien PretotEditing by Christian Radnedge)
