That’s it. We now know who our two World Cup semi-finalists are as reigning champions France will face Argentina in Sunday’s showpiece while Croatia will take on Morocco in Saturday’s third-place match.
Here is your daily wrap on the day’s action and other hot topics surrounding the tournament in Qatar.
France have reached their second World Cup final in as many tournaments as they had to battle their way to a 2-0 victory over Morocco. Theo Hernandez delivered them the perfect start inside the opening 10 minutes but it took substitute Randal Kolo Muani’s late strike to secure their place in the final. It wasn’t their best performance but Les Bleus and Didier Deschamps’ experience as reigning champions made sure they found a way to win. They have become the sixth nation to reach consecutive World Cup finals.
Deschamps makes history
By guiding his team to back-to-back finals, Deschamps has become the fourth manager to do so at the World Cup. He joins Vittorio Pozzo (Italy), Carlos Bilardo (Argentina) and Franz Beckenbauer (Germany) in reaching this feat. His astute changes to help his side get over the line against Morocco in their semi-final shows just how much of an effective operator he is at this level.
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Morocco stars will be high on transfer wish lists
Their World Cup fairytale may have come to an end but some of the stars of Morocco’s team have been incredible throughout this journey and have been some of the best players in Qatar. The two standouts have been midfielders Sofyan Amrabat and Azzedine Ounahi, who play for Fiorentina and Angers respectively. They both possess the greatest qualities in a midfielder and you can expect both to be linked with a lot of European clubs as the January transfer looms.
Messi says final will be his last World Cup appearance
Argentina’s superstar Lionel Messi has said that Sunday’s final will be his last appearance at the World Cup as he looks to crown his career with football’s greatest prize.
He said: "I am very happy for finishing my journey in World Cups in a final, to play the last game in a final. That is really very gratifying.
"Everything I lived in this World Cup has been emotional, seeing how much it has been enjoyed in Argentina.
"There are a lot of years from this year to the next one. I don't think I will be able to do that. To finish this way is brilliant."
