France coach Didier Deschamps admitted his team was well below its best after a 2-0 loss to Spain in the World Cup semi-finals on Tuesday.

“We are obviously very disappointed. Our goal was to reach the final but we have to admit Spain controlled the match completely,” Deschamps said after the game.

“We made too many technical mistakes. We were not able to create enough problems for them. They are a team that defends very well and manages games very well.”

Spain took the lead through Mikel Oyarzabal’s penalty in the 22nd minute before Pedro Porro doubled the advantage just before the hour mark in Dallas.

Asked whether France had been given a footballing lesson, Deschamps acknowledged the quality of Luis de la Fuente’s side while lamenting his own team’s technical shortcomings.

“Spain is a very strong team and the players proved it again tonight. We did not perform at our usual level. We made more technical mistakes than in our previous matches. The players tried everything to be ready but we clearly were not at our best,” he said.

Deschamps said Spain’s defensive organisation and its success in containing Kylian Mbappe proved decisive.

“Spain defended excellently today. They left very little space. At the same time, we made technical errors that prevented us from finding solutions. When your technical and attacking level drops against such a team, it becomes very difficult,” he said.

Central defender William Saliba was forced off with an injury in the first half, prompting Deschamps to send on Maxence Lacroix instead of Ibrahima Konate.

“It was my decision. William had to come off because of injury and I did not want to take extra risks with other players. Given their usual positions and experience, I felt it was the most logical adjustment,” he explained.

France will now play in the third-place playoff, but Deschamps, who said last year that he would step down as coach after this World Cup, declined to discuss his future. “Now is not the time to talk about that. I am extremely proud of everything this national team has achieved, winning in 2018, reaching the final in Qatar and now another semi-final. Today we have to accept defeat and congratulate Spain. That is top-level football.”

In the meantime, Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said his team had reached its peak at the perfect moment after a 2-0 win over France in Tuesday’s World Cup semi-final sent La Roja into its first final since lifting the trophy in 2010.

Mikel Oyarzabal converted a penalty in the 22nd minute and Pedro Porro added a second just before the hour mark as Spain subdued one of the tournament favourites in Dallas.

Speaking after the match De la Fuente revealed that King Felipe VI had telephoned the dressing room to congratulate the team.

“It is such a pride that our king called us and continues to support us,” De la Fuente said. “We are responsible for the joy people are feeling in the streets. This generation of players has such a great attitude, and they are role models for so many values.”

The 65-year-old said the performance was the result of a deliberate plan to build momentum throughout the tournament.

“We keep improving from one match to the next, from one competition to the next. It was all planned for us to reach these key moments in the best shape possible, and I think we are in great shape now,” he said.

“In terms of our football, we have reached our peak at the right moment after a long season.” Spain neutralized a France attack led by Kylian Mbappe through discipline, organization and sacrifice, De la Fuente said.

“We were probably facing one of the best national teams in the world. However, they were also facing the best team, the best group in the world,” he said. “We are a team, and when you face a team like us, we are unbeatable. That is how we feel now.”

De la Fuente described midfielder Rodri as the “backbone” of the team and called Dani Olmo “a genius in his position,” but insisted the collective effort mattered more than any individual performance.

“What is important here is the team, and that is how they understand it. Every individual works for the benefit of the group.”

Despite the celebrations, De la Fuente said Spain’s task was not yet complete. “We have one more step, the last one, the toughest one. We want to win this World Cup and lift the trophy.”

Asked about Sunday’s final at New York New Jersey Stadium against either England or Argentina, De la Fuente said: “We will welcome either of them with open arms.”

• A Tell Media / Xinhua report