Deschamps hails France resolve after late draw with Spain

France coach Didier Deschamps praised his side's performance after securing a 1-1 draw against world champions Spain in Group I of World Cup qualifying on Tuesday evening.

Vicente del Bosque's side took the lead in the 25th minute courtesy of Sergio Ramos' close-range finish, before Cesc Fabregas' penalty was saved by captain Hugo Lloris.

Les Bleus improved after the break, and after spurning a couple of opportunities, they were rewarded with a dramatic equaliser with the last move of the game as Olivier Giroud stunned the hosts with a 93rd minute header.

The former Olympique de Marseille boss spoke positively about his side's second-half improvement, and insists he is happy with a point.

"It was a very good second-half. We created a lot of opportunities, even if at times we looked for passes when we were in a position to strike," the 44-year-old told TF1.

"But there was much suffering [from] this Spain team in the second-half. Seeing their journey and their results at home, we are happy to take a point. It rewards the group because it is not easy."

Meanwhile, Giroud, who netted the decisive equaliser, was also pleased with his dramatic intervention, and said that the result was deserved.

"We believed until the end, it is something extraordinary [coming] back from a game like this because we had opportunities throughout the game," he added.

"This is really deserved because the whole group remained supportive. Today, it is me who made the difference and it's nice because I only played five minutes. It was a really good [match] and we all believed until the end."