France survive scare before beating battling Morocco to reach World Cup final
Holders France survived a scare before eventually seeing off a marvellous Morocco side to seal their place in a mouthwatering World Cup final against Argentina.
Les Bleus Sport News
Analysis:Tactical masterplan, and grit, take France into World Cup final
AL KHOR, Qatar : Mike Tyson claimed that everybody has a plan, until they get punched in the face, which is precisely what happened to Morocco when they were bounced out of the World Cup in a 2-0 defeat by heavyweights France in their semi-final clash on Wednesday.
France end Morocco World Cup dream to set up Argentina final
DOHA: France ended Morocco’s World Cup dream as goals from Theo Hernandez and Randal Kolo Muani gave the holders a 2-0 win in their semifinal clash and set up a showdown on Sunday with Lionel Messi’s Argentina. It looked like France might make short work of their opponents when Hernandez scored inside five minutes at Al Bayt Stadium, despite having a hostile crowd against them. But Morocco, the first African and Arab team ever to reach the last four at a World Cup, fought on despite losing key players to injury only to see substitute Kolo Muani seal victory for Les Bleus with a late second.
Hugo Lloris: Harry Kane 'will keep his chin up' despite penalty heartbreak
Hugo Lloris is confident Tottenham team-mate Harry Kane will continue to shine for club and country following his costly penalty miss in England's World Cup quarter-final defeat to France.
World Cup Qatar 2022™ preview: France vs Morocco
Follow all the action from the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ on beIN SPORTS Defending champions France face off against Morocco at Al Bayt Stadium on Wednesday evening with a place in the FIFA World Cup final on the line. France edged out England in a tetchy quarter-final to reach the final four, whilst Morocco continued their sensational run in Qatar by getting the better of Portugal with a 1-0 win. In the process, Morocco became the first Arabic and African nation to reach the semi-finals of a FIFA World Cup tournament. France had a fair amount of luck in their quarter-final against England and perhaps without that late missed penalty from Harry Kane may have already been on the aeroplane back home. However, some stout defending and a powerful header from Olivier Giroud ensured that Les Bleus progressed to the semi-finals. Reassuringly, France has been successful in their last three visits to the FIFA World Cup, winning their last three appearances in 1998, 2006 and 2018. Although the fact that France has yet to keep a clean sheet yet in Qatar whilst coming up against the best defensive side left in the tournament would be a concern for Didier Deschamps. In team news, France is expected to name an unchanged side for this one, with Olivier Giroud the focal point in attack. blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
France wary of Morocco threat, preparing for wall of noise in semi-final
DOHA : France will go into Wednesday's World Cup semi-final against Morocco with the utmost respect for their giant-killing opponents as the defending champions prepare for a hostile reception from the Maghreb side's supporters on Wednesday.
Raphael Varane insists France must avoid Morocco 'trap' to earn place in final
Raphael Varane insists France will not "fall into the trap" of simply thinking a place in the World Cup final is theirs for the taking.
Morocco weary, but not wilting as World Cup run continues Wednesday
When Wolves had one of the best defensive records in Europe last season and Romain Saiss seemed to be in the form of his life, Bruno Lage came up with a new nickname for an otherwise unheralded centre-back: “The Moroccan Maldini,” reports www.independent.co.uk.