France knows how to suffer, demolishes Moroccan fortress and seeks third against Argentina

Football is not always fair. The team that fights the most, that submits the most, that puts the most pressure, that is most contagious does not necessarily leave the field a winner. Sometimes, victory goes to those who know how to suffer. This Wednesday (14), he went to France.

At the Al Bayt stadium, in Al Khor, the current world champions fought to beat the Moroccan team, just as they had done in the quarterfinals against England, but left the field again with a triumph that took them to the final.

With goals from Theo Hernandez and Kolo Muani, it made it 2-0 against the heroic Moroccan team.

Next Sunday (18), at 12:00 pm (Brasília time), France and Argentina will play the 2022 World Cup final, at the Lusail stadium, where the two generations of stars will clash in the duel between Messi and Mbappé.

Since France were world champions in 1998, no country has reached more Cup finals. The European team qualified for the fourth time in 24 years.

Before the decision, on Saturday (17), Morocco and Croatia will compete for third place, at 12:00 (Brasília time), at the Khalifa stadium.

Whatever the winner, the Moroccans will leave Qatar with a remarkable campaign, being the African nation that has gone further in the history of the competition.

A feat achieved with hitherto unlikely victories over opponents with more tradition on the international scene, such as Belgium, Spain and Portugal, which led thousands of Moroccans to delirium in stadiums and around the world, celebrating the success of an Arab nation in the first World Cup in a country in the Middle East.

At Al Bayt, in addition to being the majority, they made the Morocco team feel at home, muffling the sound of the French, in addition to painting the stands red.

Not even when France opened the scoring after 5 minutes, with Theo Hernandez, did they slow down. It was the first time that the country was behind on the scoreboard in the tournament and even so the support was unconditional.

The team felt it on the field. Although France created two more chances to expand, one of them with Giroud free in the penalty area, the Moroccans ended the first stage closer to the tie.

In the best chance, Jawad El Yamiq hit Lloris’ post on a beautiful bicycle, in the 44th minute, after a Ziyech cross.

The partnership between them in attack reflected an important characteristic of the Moroccan squad, with half of its players born in Africa, like Yamiq, and the other half in Europe, like Ziyech, son of migrants, born in the Netherlands.

After the break, the duo, as well as the 11 players from Morocco, returned with the same attitude, looking for a draw. They created good chances but missed them. They ended up punished in the 34th minute, when Muani closed the account after a masterful play by Mbappé.

The multiethnic characteristic is also present in the French formation, with Mbappé being one of the greatest examples. His father is Cameroonian and his mother Algerian, but he was born in Paris and chose to defend the Bleus (Blues).

At the age of 23, the star will now have the chance to make the French team equal Pelé’s Brazil, the last team with two consecutive world titles (1958 and 1962).

If he succeeds, he will put an end to Argentine Messi’s dream of taking home the only important cup he lacks. At 35, he has already announced that it will be his last chance. It will be his second final, runner-up in 2014, when he saw Germany win the title at Maracanã.

Mbappé has never felt such heartbreak. Even losing a Cup game is something he’s not used to. With two editions under his belt, he played 13 games in the tournament and has 100% success in the 11 in which he was a starter.

Also part of that list is the victory over Argentina in the round of 16 of the edition on Russian soil, when he scored two of the four goals in the 4-3 triumph.

Only Denmark (0-0), in 2018, and Tunisia (1-0), in 2022, both in the group stage, prevented the star from leaving the field victorious. In both cases, he started in reserve.

On the biggest stage in world football, he quickly placed himself among the greats. Already at the age of 19, he led France to the second world championship in Russia.

With a goal in the 4-2 defeat of Croatia in the final, he became the second youngest player to score in a Cup final since Pelé also scored in the 1958 decision, before turning 18.

“Welcome to the club”, tweeted the King of Football at the time, saluting the player with whom the Brazilian maintains a mutual affection.

If he manages to shine again in the second final he will play, not only him, but France will also join a select group of countries with three world titles, which include Italy and Germany, both with four pints, and Brazil, greater winner with five.

Coincidentally, it is the same goal as Messi. It will be a big decision.