Juanfran Torres was left lamenting his inability to kill off the game as Spain's 24-match winning run in World Cup soccer qualifying came to a dramatic end in a last-minute 1-1 draw with France.

Substitute Olivier Giroud scored a deserved equaliser on France's final push after Spanish reserve Torres gave away possession in midfield.

Franck Ribery grabbed the ball and crossed for Giroud to head beyond goalkeeper Iker Casillas in the fourth minute of added time to silence the Vicente Calderon stadium crowd.

"If I had just kicked the ball off the field there, the game would have ended there," Torres said.

The world champions had led through Sergio Ramos' 25th-minute header and were on the verge of being 2-0 up in the 41st only for goalkeeper Hugo Lloris to save Cesc Fabregas' penalty.

France dominated the second half and created multiple opportunities on the break to make up for their poor effort against Spain in a 2-0 quarter-final loss at the 2012 European Championship in June.

"The draw was completely deserved," Giroud said. "I may have made the difference but it just proves that there is a good group here."

Spain failed to win a qualifier for the first time since 2007. The European champions looked far from the world's best team after being constantly rattled and holding little possession over the closing stages.

With Didier Deschamps coaching this time around, France did not play ultra-defensively like in Donetsk and always looked dangerous on the break, particularly through Karim Benzema.

The French striker repeatedly found space between Spain's centre backs Ramos and Sergio Busquets - a defensive midfielder who struggled as a defender.

Fernando Torres came on late but coach Vincente Del Bosque's decision to add an attacking player over another defensive one backfired as Atletico's Juanfran Torres' misguided attempt to surge forward resulted in Moussa Sissoko leading the push that led to Giroud's superb score that left both teams with seven points from three matches.

Iceland were the last team to take points off Spain in major championship qualifying in October 2007, with Greece the last team to do so on Spanish soil when they beat Spain 1-0 in 2003.