France eliminate Morocco to make second consecutive World Cup final
France eliminate Morocco to make second consecutive World Cup final
Wednesday – France have done it yet again. The defending champions will play in the World Cup final after defeating Morocco 2-0 at Al Bayt Stadium on Wednesday evening.
A rapid start for France saw them go up 1-0 thanks to Theo Hernandez’s acrobatic effort after just five minutes of play.
Kolo Muani made it two in the 79th minute. Mbappe remarkably weaved his way past a clutter of legs in the box and gets a shot away, but it’s blocked. The deflection falls to Kolo Muani, who taps in from close range. It was his first touch of the game.
The reigning world champions threatened on several occasions to extend their lead, but Morocco managed to pose problems too, particularly in an excellent period just before the interval, which saw the Atlas Lions create a string of goal-scoring opportunities.
Surprisingly, the North African side enjoyed the lion’s share of possession. France had been expected to dominate the ball because Morocco’s approach in the tournament until now has been centered on sitting deep and looking for opportunities to counterattack.
France will play Messi’s Argentina in the finals on Sunday. The Argentines edged Croatia 3-0 in the first semi-final match played on Monday. Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez (2) scored the important goals for the South Americans. Morocco’s World Cup tournament is not done yet. It will play in the third place match on Saturday against Croatia.
France XI: Lloris; Kounde, Varane, Konate, Hernandez; Griezmann, Tchouameni, Fofana; Dembele, Giroud, Mbappe
Morocco XI: Bounou; El Yamiq, Saiss, Dari, Hakimi; Amrabat, Ounahi, Mazraoui; Ziyech, En-Nesyri, Boufal