'Extremely happy' Deschamps gets the farewell game no-one wants
France manager Didier Deschamps will conclude his tenure following a 2-0 loss to Spain in the World Cup semi-finals. Deschamps, who set a record for most World Cup games managed, will lead the team in the third-place play-off.
Why it matters
The departure of a long-serving, highly successful manager marks a significant transition for the French national football team.
Figure caption, Spain into World Cup final after dominant victory over France
Didier Deschamps' long, storied career with France will come to an end not how he would have wanted it - in Saturday's World Cup third-place play-off.
The dreams of the 57-year-old, who won the World Cup as both a player (in 1998) and a manager (in 2018), winning it a third time are over after their 2-0 defeat by Spain in Tuesday's first semi-final.
Having danced their way through the tournament with a series of impressive attacking displays, France managed just 10 shots all match in Dallas, their lowest total in the World Cup, with an expected goals of just 0.3 as they belied their pre-match tag of overwhelming favourites.
Former France midfielder Patrick Viera told ITV: "They haven't shown up. I was expecting more. There was a big expectations for France to win the World Cup.
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