World Cup 2022 LIVE: France set up dream final against Lionel Messi’s Argentina after overcoming Morocco

Think of France in a World Cup semi-final and the image that may spring to mind dates back four decades. It is so vivid, so shocking, the assault by the West German goalkeeper Toni Schumacher on Patrick Battiston that it remains one of the most infamous moments in footballing history. At the time, it was not even deemed a foul. France, who played some beautiful football in that 1982, went out on penalties, moral winners in a 3-3 draw but actual losers.

They have won four World Cup semi-finals since then, three involving Didier Deschamps, none with as many goals as they got in 1982, none as memorable, each with something of a recurring theme. France were not necessarily emphatic winners, but they were winners. Like Croatia in 1998, Portugal in 2006 and Belgium in 2018, Morocco could reflect on what might have been. Like Croatia 24 years ago, another country in their maiden semi-final on this stage, they are entitled to feel they were the better team.

It may not matter. Better to be serial winners than gallant losers. If Deschamps’ trophy collection is impressive enough, he also has a habit of steering sides through semi-finals, from the 2004 Champions League to the 2022 World Cup. Each is a means to an end. The sense is that his France do enough and no more, offering a kind of efficiency, even if they had to exert plenty of effort on an evening when Morocco tested their resolve and their legs alike.

Morocco still have the chance to end an unforgettable tournament on a high as Africa’s first ever semi-finalists take on Croatia in Saturday’s third-place play-off.

“We were disappointed for Moroccan people tonight,” Walid Regragui said. “We wanted to keep their dream alive. Of course, we’re pleased with what we achieved but we felt we could have gone even further.

“But small details help real champions win and we saw them tonight. They have a lot of subs who can come in and make the difference but I said to the players I was proud of them and His Majesty (King Mohammed VI) is proud and the Moroccan people are proud.

“We have given a good image of Morocco and a good image of African football.”

Antoine Griezmann says playing Lionel Messi is “a totally different proposition” to anything else they have faced in Qatar as France gear up for a World Cup title defence against Argentina.

“Any team with Messi in is a totally different proposition.” Griezmann said. “We have seen practically all of their matches at this World Cup.

“We have seen Argentina play, we know how they play. They are a difficult team to play and they seem to be on top form.

“Of course, not only Messi, they have a strong side around him so we know it is going to be a tough game and they will have a lot of support in the crowd.

“We will get back to work tomorrow, focused on it, how we can hurt them, how we can defend against them. We will be well prepared.”

If the extremity of French emotion showed how close this remarkable semi-final really was, their celebration comes at the expense of one public party. They may yet spoil another. Qatar will celebrate either way, as they have their blue-chip event, with two of their Paris Saint-Germain stars meeting.

Through that, France became just the seventh team to reach successive World Cup finals and may become just the third to retain the trophy, but only after a 2-0 win over Morocco that forced Didier Deschamps’s team to reach for their final reserves of energy.

Walid Regragui’s team pushed them to the limit. That may yet have an influence in Sunday’s grand finale against Lionel Messi’s Argentina, especially as France again looked so unconvincing. It has been a characteristic of their campaign, just as it was in 2018. Maybe they are the new Germany in that sense, right up to how they have reached three finals in the last four major competitions, and down to how they keep beating global darlings.

France 2-0 Morocco match report by Miguel Delaney

When is the World Cup final?

Argentina vs France will kick off at 3pm GMT on Sunday 18 December.

It will be shown live on both BBC One and ITV 1.

Just two teams remain at the World Cup in Qatar after defending champions France ended Morocco’s dream run at the tournament to set up a sensational final against Argentina and Lionel Messi on Sunday.

World champions France used all of their experience to survive some nervy moments against Morocco, who produced a defiant performance despite going a goal behind within the opening five minutes. Walid Regragui’s side had become the first team from Africa to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup but it was France who progressed to the final thanks to goals from Theo Hernandez and substitute Randal Kolo Muani.

France and star forward Kylian Mbappe now face Argentina as they bid to become the first team in 60 years to win back-to-back World Cups. Argentina defeated Croatia on Tuesday following an inspired performance from Messi, who has confirmed Sunday’s final will be his last World Cup match as he attempts to win football’s greatest prize for the first time in his career.