France next faces Argentina in the championship game while Morocco plays Croatia for third place
France defeated the upstart Morocco team Wednesday to seal their spot in the 2022 FIFA World Cup finals, with Les Bleus edging the surprise team of the tournament 2-0 to advance to a Dec. 18 showdown with Argentina.
The French squad scored just five minutes into the match as Theo Hernandez capitalized on chaos in front of Morocco goalie, lining up a leaping left-footed kick on a deflected and bouncing ball as Moroccan goalie Yassine Bounou fruitlessly darted toward him.
Despite Moroccan pressure late in the second half, France doubled their lead (and effectively sealed victory) in the 79th minute when Randal Kolo Muani kicked home the team’s second goal from in close as Morocco’s defense collapsed following a drive by French star Kylian Mbappe. Morocco made one last stab in injury time, but the score held 2-0.
France’s win sets up a final between two soccer superpowers who, despite two championships apiece, have never met in a World Cup Final: France, the defending champions having won in 2018, also won the World Cup in 1998; while Argentina previously won in 1978 and 1986, the same year of Diego Maradona’s infamous “Hand of God” goal.
The final also guarantees either France or Argentina will settle into sole 4th place for the most World Cup titles behind Brazil (5), Germany and Italy (4); Argentina, France and Uruguay all have two World Cup wins.
The 2-0 loss put an end to Morocco’s historic run in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, as the team became the first-ever African nation to advance to the semifinals of the tournament, toppling heavily favored teams like Spain and Portugal on their way to Wednesday’s matchup with France. However, Morocco will next play Croatia in the third-place game on Dec. 17, giving them an opportunity to further cement their best-ever run for an African nation in the tournament.
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