Defending champion France have reached the final of the FIFA World Cup for the 2nd successive time. They defeated Morocco, the giant killer of the Qatar World Cup, by a 2-0 margin to secure their place in the final. However, Morocco’s unbelievable run stopped with the defeat against France. Playing against Portugal, Belgium, Spain, and many more, Morocco qualified for the semifinal as the first African nation. Unfortunately, they had to stop in the semifinal as France defeated them.
Match Report
At Al Bayt Stadium, defending champion, France, faced Morocco in the semifinal. France boss Didier Deschamps set up the team formation with 4-2-3-1, where Olivier Giroud played as the striker, and Kylian Mbappe, Griezmann, and Ousmane Dembele played just behind the striker. On the other hand, the Moroccan boss played his team in a 5-4-1 formation.
Before the match against France, Morocco didn’t concede a single goal from an opposing player. But they were not lucky enough last night. In the 5th minute, France took the lead as Theo Hernandez scored a goal for the team.
But the response from the African side was brilliant. It looked like Morocco had played in many semifinals before. They were keeping the ball in the midfield and created some crucial chances. Unfortunately, the African Red Armies couldn’t find the net.
After the interval, Morocco played more organized football than they did in the first half. They had more possession on the ball than France. Morocco could have scored, but their finishing was not good enough to beat France’s goalkeeper Lloris. Moreover, France doubled their lead at the very last moment. In the 79th minute, Randal Kolo Muani found the net for the defending champion to make the scoreline 2-0. However, Morocco couldn’t score one in the remaining minutes. As a result, France won the match and have reached the final.
Deschamps talked about the final.
France reached the final of the FIFA World Cup after defeating Morocco in the semifinal. They will face Lionel Messi’s Argentina on December 18. However, France boss Didier Deschamps talked about the final after the match against Morocco. He said, “Leo Messi has been in scintillating form since the beginning of the tournament. Four years ago, things were different of course.”
“He[Messi] is one of the best players in the word, he has shown that. Of course, we will try to counter his threat and stop him influencing the game. And of course, they will try to stop the influence of some of my players on the match. So yes, their side is different to the side we faced four years ago,” the manager added.