End of a Dream: France ends fairy-tale Morocco run, to meet Argentina in World Cup final

France will play Argentina and Lionel Messi in the 2022 World Cup final after beating Morocco 2-0 at the Al Bayt Stadium on Wednesday night. It was an end to a history-setting run for the Africans.

France, who won the World Cup in Russia four years ago, were tipped to beat underdogs Morocco – but this tournament has been full of shocks. Goals from Theo Hernandez and Randal Kolo Muani ensured Didier Deschamps’ side weren’t the latest victims of an upset.

Morocco performed admirably after losing Nayef Aguerd and Romain Saiss to injury and, on another day, could’ve won the semi-final. In the end, France took their chances and Morocco were left to rue theirs. Here are the main talking points from a tense affair.

France needed just five minutes to register their first goal. Manchester United defender Raphael Varane played Antoine Griezmann in behind the defence before he found Kylian Mbappe in the middle, allowing the Paris Saint-Germain striker to get a shot off.

Mbappe’s effort was deflected, but the ball squirmed into the path of Hernandez. Goalkeeper Bono tried to put the pressure on the AC Milan defender by racing out of his net, yet Hernandez produced a calm finish to give France the perfect start.

The defending champions were expected to dominate after their early goal and came close to doubling their advantage when Olivier Giroud hit the post. Yet Morocco didn’t give up and almost equalised thanks to Jawad El Yamiq’s moment of magic.

The Real Valladolid defender forced Hugo Lloris into a desperate save after producing an outrageous overhead kick just before half-time. The Tottenham goalkeeper tipped El Yamiq’s attempt on to the post before France managed to scramble the ball away.

Morocco thought they should’ve had a penalty during the first half when Sofiane Boufal went down under Hernandez’s challenge. The defender won the ball but caught the former Southampton star with his follow-through. The incident has divided people’s opinions.

Former England captain Alan Shearer told BBC Sport: “Not [a penalty] for me, Hernandez actually gets the ball. He gets the ball there.”

Yet fellow pundit Rio Ferdinand disagreed. He replied: “He does, but then he catches the legs. Anywhere else on the pitch and it’s a foul, so why’s it not a penalty?”

Sofyan Amrabat has been one of the stars of the World Cup after helping Morocco achieve wins against Canada, Belgium, Spain and Portugal. The Fiorentina midfielder produced another superb display against the French – and one tackle will live long in the memory.

The challenge unfolded when Mbappe flew into acres of space on the left flank. Just as France’s talisman was about to cut into the box, Amrabat produced a perfect sliding tackle to save the day. No wonder Liverpool are reportedly after the Moroccan midfielder.

Morocco matched France throughout Wednesday night’s game and came close to an equaliser when Abderrazak Hamdallah danced passed several defenders. The Al-Ittihad striker failed to shoot, however, and Morocco were punished moments later.

France got their crucial second goal when Mbappe picked up the ball in the box and danced past a couple of defenders. He failed to test Bono, but the ball squirmed into the path of substitute Kolo Muani for a tap in. It was a tough end to Morocco’s terrific World Cup campaign – yet France’s ability to take their chances proved to be the difference.