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| Host nation: Qatar Dates: 20 November-18 December Coverage: Live connected BBC TV, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website and app. Day-by-day TV listings - Full sum details |
France dismantled 1 World Cup imagination arsenic they moved a measurement person to fulfilling their ain arsenic the thrill thrust that has been Morocco's run successful Qatar came to a achy decision astatine Al Bayt Stadium.
On a nighttime of earthy emotion and a cacophony of sound successful Al Khor, holders France ended the romanticist notions of this tournament's glorious astonishment bundle Morocco going adjacent further than they already had successful becoming the archetypal African state to scope the semi-finals.
Morocco's magnificent support, who flooded into Doha successful their thousands to splash the stadium successful red, were near tearful but arrogant arsenic France yet made people and ratio tell, striking astatine either extremity of a gripping brushwood to triumph 2-0.
As Morocco's players, unit and their inspirational manager Walid Regragui took a prolonged and thoroughly merited ovation successful beforehand of those adoring fans with their dreams broken, truthful different 1 came tantalisingly into presumption for Sunday's last astatine Lusail Stadium.
Namely that of France v Argentina, and Kylian Mbappe v Lionel Messi.
Both men play for French broadside Paris St-Germain. The 23-year-old Frenchman is going for his 2nd World Cup winner's medal portion the Argentine genius 12 years his elder has 1 past ace astatine winning the crown that would further bolster his claims to beryllium the top to person ever played the game.
Mbappe's presumption would beryllium further cemented with successive World Cup triumphs arsenic France purpose to go the archetypal state to clasp the trophy, albeit it is really present a antithetic portion of silverware, for 60 years aft Brazil won it successful Sweden successful 1958 and Chile 4 years later.
He was a scorer erstwhile France bushed Croatia 4-2 successful Moscow successful 2018 and has the powerfulness to adhd to his tally present and successful the future. Pele is the lone antheral with 3 winners' medals. Only 21 men, including Pele, person won much than one. It opens up singular possibilities for the France forward.
For Messi, the discourse is different.
He is astatine the extremity of a vocation successful which helium has won everything the crippled has to connection but for that single, important spread successful his honours collection. It is the biggest of all, the World Cup, and this is present oregon ne'er aft helium mislaid the 2014 last to Germany successful Rio.
It is Messi's last World Cup crippled and Sunday is the time that could apical it all, providing the cleanable extremity to his communicative with Argentina. Anything other would consciousness despairing and hollow for the large sporting icon of his country.
The World Cup last could beryllium 1 for the ages and connected the grounds of what we person seen successful Qatar it is excessively adjacent to call. It could adjacent travel down to 1 infinitesimal of genius from the 2 players astir apt to supply it.
France person got the occupation done successful 2 pugnacious knockout games against England successful the quarter-final and present against Morocco.
They were tested successful some successful their antithetic ways, England with the attacking menace they had and Morocco with their sheer refusal to buckle successful adversity bolted connected to plentifulness of skill, but they person travel retired the different broadside successfully.
The French had plentifulness of composure astir them present contempt Morocco exerting spells of pressure, their goals coming aft 5 minutes from Theo Hernandez and the 2nd from substitute Randal Kolo Muani, lone 44 seconds aft coming on, the 3rd fastest extremity by a substitute successful World Cup past and his archetypal for France.
And for manager Didier Deschamps, Sunday's last offers up a spot successful past and the accidental to adhd further decoration to his stunning career.
The 54-year-old, famously labelled "The Water Carrier" by France team-mate Eric Cantona for his tireless benignant and quality to triumph possession for different alleged much glamorous team-mates, captained his state to the World Cup connected location ungraded successful 1998.
Deschamps is lone the 4th manager to pb a federation to back-to-back World Cup finals aft Vittorio Pozzo with Italy successful 1934 and 1938, Carlos Bilardo with Argentina successful 1986 and 1990 and Franz Beckenbauer with Germany successful 1986 and 1990. He would beryllium lone the 2nd aft Pozzo to triumph it twice.
He has gone astir his concern successful his accustomed understated manner contempt losing Ballon d'Or-winning striker Karim Benzema virtually the infinitesimal France landed successful Qatar, with 36-year-old Olivier Giroud stepping into the breach.
Even here, astatine this World Cup unit point, helium mislaid Adrien Rabiot and Dayot Upamecano to illness, the second superbly replaced by Liverpool's Ibrahima Konate to springiness Deschamps a tasty enactment occupation connected Sunday.
And truthful the World Cup comes down to this.
France v Argentina. In the eyes of many, Mbappe v Messi.
It is the World Cup last galore predicted and the idiosyncratic duel betwixt 2 greats galore craved.
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