France seal World Cup final spot with 2-0 win over Morocco | Qatar World Cup 2022 News

Reigning world champions overcome spirited Atlas Lions display to setup showdown with Argentina on Sunday.

France edged past Morocco during a frenetic semifinal clash to secure their place in Sunday’s World Cup final, with the reigning world champions holding off a spirited display from the North African side to win 2-0.

Left-back Theo Hernandez put France ahead after just five minutes at the Al Bayt Stadium on Wednesday, firing an acrobatic effort past Yassine Bounou from close-range to become the first opposition player to score against the Atlas Lions in Qatar.

Morocco responded forcefully to the early setback, controlling the majority of possession and pressing for an equaliser either side of half-time.

France, who for large periods were second-best, held out nonetheless and Randal Kolo Muani put the game to bed late on, tapping home from close range in the 79th minute to set up a showdown with Argentina in four days’ time.

France are looking to become the first team to retain the World Cup title since Brazil in 1962.

Morocco, the first Arab and first African country to make it to a World Cup semifinal, will face Croatia in a third-place play-off on Saturday.

Morocco never overawed

For the first goal, Hernandez had to lift his left foot high to connect with a bouncing ball from a tight angle to finish off a sweeping move started by Antoine Griezmann’s run down the right and a cutback pass that Kylian Mbappe initially fluffed.

Mbappe was the creator of the second as he attempted first to dribble through the Morocco defence and then shot, his effort blocked but falling for Kolo Muani to net.

Olivier Giroud struck the post and missed from point-blank range in the first half at the end of a barnstorming run through the middle from Aurelien Tchouameni.

The midfielder threaded a superb ball to find Mbappe, whose miscued shot was poorly cleared, allowing Giroud a first-time shot which was wide from close-in.

But Morocco were never overawed and had opportunity as Azzedine Ounahi forced two good saves out of French captain Hugo Lloris with speculative efforts, and curling set-pieces put the French defence under pressure.

The north Africans were hit hard by injuries to their key centre backs with the gamble of naming Nayef Aguerd in the starting line up failing to come off as he hurt his hamstring in the warm-up and skipper Romain Saiss having to go off after 20 minutes.

Replacement centre-back Jawad El Yamiq was, however, closest to an equaliser with a spectacular bicycle kick on the stroke of halftime, from a poorly cleared corner by the French, with Lloris getting a vital touch as it hit the base of the upright.