NIZHNY NOVGOROD, Russia, July 6 (Xinhua) -- France coach Didier Deschamps said his team could still improve after they secured a place in the World Cup semifinals with a 2-0 victory over Uruguay on Friday.
Raphael Varane put Les Bleus ahead in their quarterfinal here with a first-half header before Antoine Griezmann's 61st-minute strike from distance slipped through the hands of Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera.
Uruguay's best chance to score came just moments before halftime when Martin Caceres' header forced a superb diving save from Hugo Lloris following a Lucas Torreira free-kick.
"We deserved the result. We controlled the game more than they did, particularly in the second half," Deschamps told a news conference.
"We played better but we didn't play the perfect match either. We can always play better. I'm not going to get too demanding. Uruguay are a good team and Lloris made a great save. Obviously they are good at set pieces but apart from that we weren't really tested."
He added: "There are several things we have to improve. They have to do with technical situations and not wasting opportunities. Some of our great attacking moves haven't led to goals because key passes haven't been good. But against Uruguay there were so many one-on-one battles that it was tough. Uruguayans have that in their DNA."
When asked if France could win the World Cup, Deschamps replied: "We have the potential to be in the semifinals, that is certain. The group phase was tough. Many other big teams weren't successful. Maybe we haven't always been the best team but we have grown. It hasn't been easy. It could have been just a one off against Argentina. But to perform at a high level again today proved our mettle."
