Theo Hernández and Randal Kolo Muani scored as France defeated underdog Morocco, 2-0, in Qatar on Wednesday, sending Les Blues into the World Cup final against perennial powerhouse Argentina.
Attacking from a sharp angle six yards out, Hernandez scored on an acrobatic volley in the fifth minute at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor.
Then in the 79th minute, French superstar Kylian Mbappé drew a host of Moroccan defenders in the box before slipping a pass to Muani who scored from close range.
The Frenchmen, winners of soccer’s most coveted trophy in 1998 and 2018, are seeking to become the first side to win back-to-back World Cup titles since Brazil did in 1958 and 1962.
And on the other side Sunday, 35-year-old Argentine legend Lionel Messi and his teammates want to capture their nation’s first World Cup title since 1986, a tournament best known Argentina’s quarterfinal victory over England, thanks in part to Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” goal.
Even as one of his sport’s greatest players, Messi has long been the unfair target of frustrated soccer fans back home for the national team’s failure to win the World Cup.
Argentina won the Copa America last year, with a 1-0 victory over host Brazil in the final but demanding supporters of La Albiceleste won’t be satsified until Messi raises the World Cup.
The title match on Sunday is set to kick off at 10 a.m. EST from Lusail Stadium in Al Daayen and be televised in Spanish on Telemundo and streamed on Peacock.
Morroco, which captured the world’s imagination as the first African side to ever make the World Cup semifinals, will play for third place on Saturday against 2018 runner-up Croatia. That match, from Khalifa International Stadium in Ar-Rayyan, will also be on Telemundo and Peacock.
The next World Cup will be held in North America in 2026 with the United States, Canada and Mexico serving as hosts.
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