France end Morocco World Cup dream to set up Argentina final
France ended
Morocco's World Cup dream as goals from Theo Hernandez and Randal Kolo Muani
gave the holders a 2-0 win in their semi-final clash and set up a showdown on
Sunday with Lionel Messi's Argentina.
It looked
like France might make short work of their opponents when Hernandez scored
inside five minutes at Al Bayt Stadium, despite having a hostile crowd against
them.
But Morocco,
the first African and Arab team ever to reach the last four at a World Cup,
fought on despite losing key players to injury only to see substitute Kolo Muani
seal victory for Les Bleus with a late second.
It will be
France's fourth World Cup final in seven editions and they are hoping to become
the first team since Brazil 60 years ago to retain the trophy when they take on
Argentina at Lusail Stadium on Sunday.
That will be
billed as a showdown between Messi and his Paris Saint-Germain teammate Kylian
Mbappe, but this match was not about the latter's individual brilliance.
Instead
France's victory was down to a team effort against a Moroccan side who will now
face Croatia in Saturday's third-place play-off.
Morocco had
reached the semi-finals after beating Belgium in the group stage and then
knocking out Spain and Portugal.
But whether
they could repeat the feat against the holders was another matter, and coach
Walid Regragui's plans were left in turmoil by a slew of injuries.
Having
missed the quarter-final, centre-back Nayef Aguerd was recalled only to
withdraw at the last minute, with Achraf Dari stepping in.
Then fellow
defender and captain Romain Saiss had to abandon his teammates after just 21
minutes, and by then Morocco were behind.
France were
met by deafening whistles when in possession from the huge Moroccan support but
they silenced the crowd with the early opener, Hernandez netting with an
acrobatic volley at the back post after Mbappe's shot was deflected.
Remarkably
it was also just the second goal conceded by Morocco at this World Cup and the
first scored by an opposition player.
Injuries
pile up
If the
excellent Azzedine Ounahi forced a fine save from Hugo Lloris soon after, there
was the feeling that the evening could quickly turn into a rude reality check
for them.
When Saiss
let a simple forward ball bounce over his head, Olivier Giroud broke away but
his shot hit the post.
Then when
Saiss came off Regragui abandoned his back three and matched France's 4-3-3.
Morocco
finished the half strongly and nearly drew level when, following a corner,
defender Jawad El Yamiq saw his overhead kick tipped onto the post by Lloris.
The Atlas
Lions then also lost Bayern Munich left-back Noussair Mazraoui at half-time,
but France had not been saved from fitness worries themselves.
Two of their
starters in the quarter-final win over England, Adrien Rabiot and Dayot
Upamecano, were missing due to illness.
Les Bleus
have been used to playing semi-finals on a knife-edge and their previous three
wins at this stage - in 1998, 2006 and 2018 - had all come by a single goal.
Coach Didier
Deschamps took off Giroud and replaced him with Marcus Thuram - son of Lilian -
as Mbappe moved inside.
Kolo Muani
then came on for Ousmane Dembele, and with 11 minutes remaining he scored from
his first touch, tapping in after another Mbappe shot had been deflected.
The Moroccan
players knew then it was game over, and so did French President Emmanuel
Macron, standing to applaud in the crowd.
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