A moment of genius inside the box from Kylian Mbappe, who had done little up to that point, was enough to put the game to rest and seal a France-Argentina final.
Theo Hernandez‘s goal early led many to believe France were set for a triumphant march in Al Bayt, but Morocco ripped up that script and put in another plucky performance that had Les Bleus sweating.
It was France who had to battle and show determination against a Moroccan team that can go and fight for third place with its head held high.
Morocco weren’t in this match by chance. If a few moments had swung their way, they would have been worthy opponents for Messi and company in the final.
Griezmann carries a stingy France
France is in the final and at the end of the day that’s what counts. It’s better to think about that than to dissect the suffering the champions had to go through to book their ticket.
Les Bleus were kept upright by Griezmann, who did almost everything alongside Tchouameni. Not only did the best attacking moves come from his boots, but he also defended and won back the ball.
It was a real standout performance in the midst of a rather mediocre team.
Tchouameni, the best in his position at the World Cup
The Real Madrid midfielder breaks and creates. At Al Bayt, in the absence of Rabiot, he played alongside his former Monaco teammate Fofana, with whom he gets along very well.
As a result Tchouameni allowed himself the luxury of going higher up the pitch in the first half, which included a strong run and an even better pass to Mbappe that wasn’t finished.
He also found the time to collect a rebound and pass it to Giroud, who also missed. He has dazzled in his first months at Madrid and the truth is that the World Cup has not seen anyone better at what he does.
The miracle of Walid Regragui
No need to wait for the second half to give Walid Regragui the applause he deserves for what he has done with this Morocco team. His side were spectacular after the break, as they kept France under wraps for much of the second half.
He silenced all those who predicted his team would come out and simply defend, and it wasn’t just because of Theo’s goal that they changed. From the beginning, they went out looking for Lloris’ goal.
In the end, it was the opposite of what was expected. France were the ones that sat deep, more so after their goal.
Morocco are good at set pieces, they are vertical and aggressive. They have also been growing as they have have made history.
Spectacular Amrabat once again
Amrabat is undoubtedly one of the stars of this World Cup. He had another spectacular performance, not only because of how he defends and creates through the middle, but also because he even took it upon himself on more than one occasion to race Mbappe.
In a spectacular run between the two, the Morocco player arrived late and got his studs on Mbappe’s ankle. Mexican referee Cesar Ramos didn’t even call a foul.
Amrabat had stated that Morocco were not afraid of Mbappe and that proved true. They weren’t afraid of Mbappe or anyone else at this World Cup in fairness.
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