It took just five minutes before Morocco found themselves behind for the first time in this World Cup tournament.
France’s Antoine Griezmann ignited the attack which ended with Theo Hernandez making it 1-0 with an acrobatic kick from a tight angle after the ball found its surface in the penalty area thanks to Kylian Mbappé and a Moroccan leg.
Not the start Morocco had hoped for early on, as their attacking play hasn’t been brilliant so far in the tournament. But towards the end of the first half they managed to shift positions a bit and in the 44th minute central defender Jawad El Yamiq hit the post after having risked a bicycle kick in the aftermath of a corner.
Measure after 24 seconds
Something that seems to have backfired. In the second half we saw a significantly more attacking Morocco. They cheered on in the France penalty area on several occasions but never got very close.
Instead, they were forced to watch as Kylian Mbappé turned the defense around and served substitute Randal Kolo Muani an open goal to make it 2-0 with just over ten minutes remaining. He had therefore been on the field for only 24 seconds.
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The victory means France will have a chance to defend their World Cup gold from 2018. If they can defeat Argentina in the final, they will become the first country to defend their World Cup title since Brazil did in 1962.
The text is updated.
