Deschamps brands France devastated after Spain exit, casts doubt on Barton

ARLINGTON, United States — France manager Didier Deschamps described his squad as “devastated” after Spain ended their World Cup run in the semi-finals on Tuesday, then turned his fire on Salvadoran referee Ivan Barton.

Les Bleus had lit up the tournament on the way to the last four, scoring 16 times across six matches and drawing praise that put them alongside some of the competition’s finest sides. Those hopes of a third world title collapsed under a commanding Spanish showing that left Deschamps, who will leave the job when the finals conclude, short of explanations.

“Of course, there is a lot of disappointment,” Deschamps said right after the loss at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. “The players are devastated because we had a lot of ambition, even though we also have to be realistic and acknowledge that today we were a notch below on the technical level against a team that controlled the game well. “But first of all, it’s our fault, I don’t want to blame anyone.”

Still, he singled out Barton, who gave Spain a first-half spot-kick when Lucas Digne caught Lamine Yamal.

“I’ll ask a loaded question and I won’t answer it,” Deschamps said. “Is the referee at the level required to officiate a World Cup semi-final? “And I’m not saying this just because we lost today. There were quite a few situations. There were some favourable calls, too,” he said, offering no further detail.