India, July 15 -- It wasn't the farewell many expected, but Didier Deschamps' remarkable spell as France head coach will end without a third consecutive World Cup final. His reign began with the 2018 World Cup triumph, followed by the heartbreaking defeat to Lionel Messi's Argentina in the 2022 final. And in a tournament where France looked destined for another shot at the title, Spain brought their run to a halt with a 2-0 semifinal victory in Dallas on Tuesday.

France's World Cup campaign, however, is not over just yet. Les Bleus will return for the third-place playoff on Saturday.

After the defeat, Deschamps stopped short of directly blaming the referee for France's exit, but made it clear he was unhappy with the performance of Salva...