World Cup Round-Up (Semi-Finals Day 2) – France Beat Spirited Morocco to Set Up Argentina Final
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Morocco’s fairytale World Cup run came to an end at Al Bayt Stadium on Wednesday, as defending champions France claimed a 2-0 victory to reach a second successive WC final.
Goals from Theo Hernandez and Randal Kolo Muani sealed the deal for Les Blues. However, the reigning champs were pushed all the way by the first African team to reach a World Cup semi-final.
It’s time to discuss all the key talking points from Wednesday’s semi-final.
Morocco’s Dream Ends as France Reach Back-to-Back WC Finals
Naturally, France headed into Wednesday’s showdown as the bookmakers’ favorites. The 2018 World Cup winners were expected to make light work of Morocco, but the Atlas Lions put up an immense fight.
Hernadez gave Les Blue the lead after just five minutes, producing a neat finish from a tight angle to slot the ball past Morocco goalkeeper Bono. Still, the Atlas Lions refused to lie down.
Morocco created plenty of chances of their own throughout the first half, although they survived a scare when Olivier Giroud smashed the ball against the woodwork after breezing past injured centre-back Romain Saiss.
Saiss was forced to exit the game midway through the first half, before fellow centre-back Jawad El Yamiq struck the post with a phenomenal overhead kick. However, the French carried a 1-0 lead into half-time.
The Moroccans came out fighting after the break, producing chance after chance. But Les Blues defended well, with Liverpool centre-back Ibrahima Konate playing a starring role.
Despite the best efforts of Morocco, France wrapped up the victory on 79. Kylian Mbappe weaved his way past several Moroccan defenders before finding Kolo Muani, who’d only been on the pitch for 44 seconds.
The substitute’s calm finish gave Dider Deschamps’ side the breathing space they had craved since Hernandez’s early goal. Sadly, Morocco’s dream journey ended as the ball hit the back of the net.
The Atlas Lions still have something to play for, though, as they meet Croatia in Saturday’s third-place play-off. They have already made history in Qatar, but they will be eager to go one better this weekend.
As for France, they will face Argentina in the 2022 World Cup final at Lusail Stadium on Sunday.
Can Mbappe and co. clinch a second successive title? Or will Lionel Messi finally get his hands of the illustrious trophy? We’ll have to wait and see.
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