It is all over in Al Khor. The French have done it and reached a second straight final! Hernandez and Kolo Muani’s goals downed the unlucky Moroccans 2-0. Mbappe will meet Messi at the weekend and Les Bleus could be just the third team to defend their world title.
Morocco’s World Cup dream is over, and France’s dream of winning back-to-back titles remains alive. On Wednesday in the semifinal, France scored a goal in each half to advance to Sunday’s final, beating Cinderella Morocco 2-0. The French will now face Argentina on Sunday in the cu[. Morocco will take on Croatia on Saturday in the third-place game.
Theo Hernandez scored a close effort in the fifth minute for the game-winning goal. As Morocco valiantly pushed for an equalizer, it was Randal Kolo Muani who tapped in a Kylian Mbappe deflected shot in the 79th minute to put a bow on it.
The early goal set the tone for France, but Morocco dominated possession and had some decent looks to equalize, seeing a bicycle kick from Jawad El Yamiq hit the post in the first half.
Morocco was the darlings of the tournament and can still finish in third. They became the first African team to make it to the semifinals with their memorable run.
Meanwhile, France overcame numerous pre-tournament injuries, including to Ballon d’Or striker Karim Benzema, to make it back to the big game.