France will play Argentina in the World Cup final after surviving a breathless semi-final against Morocco. Argentina booked their spot in Sunday’s final after beating Croatia 3-0 – thanks to a masterful performance by Lionel Messi, who scored and created in his side’s win on Tuesday.
He smashed home a stunning penalty before producing a moment of magic as he destroyed Josko Gvardiol to assist Julian Alvarez for their third goal. France, on the other hand, saw off Morocco in an intense, back-and-forth showdown at the Al Bayt Stadium, beating the North African country 2-0.
Theo Hernandez opened the scoring, slotting home in the fifth minute, with Raphael Varane receiving fan plaudits for his ‘line-breaking pass’ in the build-up to the goal. Second-half substitute Randal Kolo Muani made it 2-0 when he scored from close range after Kylian Mbappe’s deflected shot fell into his path.
Morocco, who dumped Spain and Portugal out of the tournament, fought with the same intensity in their previous outings but failed to break down the defending champions. France will face Argentina in Sunday’s World Cup final in a meeting that will pit Paris Saint-Germain superstars Kylian Mbappe and Messi against each other.
