Mikel Oyarzabal's penalty and a second-half strike from Pedro Porro sent Spain through to the final, with the decision to award the opening goal proving contentious among the French camp. Despite that, Deschamps did not lean solely on the officiating to explain the result.
"We also have to be logical and admit that today we were a notch below technically against a team that had a real grip on things, but that's down to us first of all (…) We were below par technically, there's no exact science to it, we caused them fewer problems than we wanted to.
"They have that ability to defend well, close down space and show real cunning. We needed to be at our very best, and that wasn't the case even though we tried. We made a few too many technical errors that pushed us back."
France's run at the tournament had been unbeaten before the loss, and the result leaves Les Bleus to reflect on a campaign that promised much but fell short at the last four. William Saliba was forced off with injury inside the first half hour, with Maxence Lacroix introduced in his place at centre-back.
Speaking after the final whistle, the Crystal Palace defender gave his own assessment of the defeat.
"Lots of disappointment. We were close to the goal. We played against a good Spain side. We can hold our heads high with what we produced over the course of this adventure. With the potential and the players we have, we believed we could go further. It's quite hard to answer straight after the game. We should have done better in certain passages of play. We missed the final touch. Defensively too we needed to be sturdier. This will help us pick ourselves back up. Everyone has their own game plan and does what they can with what they've got. They prepared the match well. They won, that's how it is."
The semi-final was played in front of a packed crowd at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, one of the showpiece venues at this summer's tournament in the United States.
France's players now face a return home without the World Cup, bringing to an end a tournament in which Deschamps' side had been considered among the leading contenders. Saliba's fitness will be a concern for Arsenal in the days ahead, with the extent of his injury not yet confirmed. Spain move on to the final in search of a second world title.