France must now take the last step to win their second consecutive world title after eliminating Morocco 2-0 in the semi-final of the World Cup on Wednesday (14), said the coach of France, Didier Deschamps.
The defending champions opened the scoring in the fifth minute through defender Theo Hernandez before Randal Kolo Muani scored another in the 32nd minute to seal their fourth appearance in a final in the last seven editions.
“We’ve been together with the players for a month, it’s never easy. There’s happiness so far.”
“I feel very proud to get this classification, it was the last step to reach the final. But it wasn’t simple. We mixed quality, hope and experience to reach victory. It’s the symptom of a team and it’s what makes the team difference,” said Deschamps, who led France to the 2018 world title.
Asked about the use of Kolo Muani, who scored the second goal of the match, Deschamps spoke about the importance of the entire squad. “I think above all about the union, about the collective of this group. The players that were not used can be decisive. The reserve bench is very important for the team”, commented the coach.
Deschamps is only the fourth coach to take a country to two consecutive World Cup finals, and France will look to become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to retain the title.
France also hit the post with Olivier Giroud but had to endure more than an hour of intense Moroccan pressure before sealing victory.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who was in the stands at Al Bayt Stadium to watch the victory, was quick to praise the team.
“Our compatriots need simple and pure joy, sport provides that and football in particular. I am much better now than I was an hour and a half ago,” Macron said.
“We suffered a lot, but we saw a great team. I am very grateful to Didier Deschamps and this team, a mixture of different generations.”
“Deschamps is here, with his luck and his talent. We bring back the Cup and, of course, Deschamps has to stay. This French team makes me very proud.”
The coach declined to say whether he will remain in charge of the team and only thanked the president for visiting. “To the president I say thank you very much for stopping by the locker room to greet the players”, he just said.
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