France put an end to Morocco’s magical World Cup run in Qatar, defeating them 2-0 in the semifinal to advance the final yet again as they aim to retain their status as the best in the world.
France will now take on Lionel Messi and Argentina in the World Cup final on Sunday. They would be just the third repeat champion in World Cup history if they win that match.
In this semifinal match, France was the favorite and they proved why as the defending champs scored in just five minutes.
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Antoine Griezmann took a ball into Morocco’s box and served it across, looking for French phenom Kylian Mbappe streaking to the middle. As he took a shot on goal, it was blocked by a Morocco defender, yet the threat was still alive as the ball went to the far left post.
There to lift his leg high and kick it in was Theo Hernandez, putting it past goalkeeper Yassine Bounou to take the early lead.
But if there’s anything we’ve learned about this Morocco squad, it’s that they will continuously fight no matter the score. That’s how they were able to upset Spain and Portugal on their way to becoming the first African team to reach a World Cup semifinal.
They pressured France but were never able to get that equalizing goal.
It wasn’t until the 79th minute of the match where the ball found the back of the net again, and you guessed it, Mbappe had his hand in this one as well.
Once again, it was a deflected shot as Morcoo had multiple defenders in Mbappe’s way in front of the net. But the ball trickled on the ground this time to the right post, where Randal Kolo Muani, who subbed into this match, got his first international goal of his career in a World Cup semifinal.
It was icing on the cake for France, as they thwarted off late surges from Morocco and celebrated.
Morocco will still have one game left to play, and while the “Atlas Lions” wish they were playing for a World Cup, they certainly must be proud of the effort they displayed in Qatar throughout these matches. They will take on Croatia in the third-place game on Saturday.
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For the final, it’s storyline after storyline. France wants to repeat, with Mbappe getting his second straight World Cup in two tries. Argentina would love if Messi can collect that elusive World Cup, which is the one box the soccer legend hasn’t been able to check off yet in his career. This is likely his last chance to do so.
These two powerhouses will square off on the pitch this Sunday at 10:00 a.m. ET.
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