France 2-0 Morocco: (T Hernandez 5′, Muani 79′)
France have the opportunity to defend their World Cup title after booking their place in Sunday’s final against Argentina with a hard-earned victory against surprise package Morocco.
Both goals came from surprising sources, Theo Hernandez opening the scoring after five minutes and substitute Randal Kolo Muani finishing the job seconds after coming off the bench towards the end.
Morocco’s fairytale run may be over but they delivered another performance that will fill their fans with pride after going toe-to-toe with the world champions throughout their encounter at Al Bayt Stadium.
Here’s how the players rated:
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France player ratings
Hugo Lloris: France’s record appearance maker has quietly had a very accomplished tournament and produced the goods once more. Did superbly to tip an acrobatic Al Yamiq effort onto the post. Had less to do in the second half, partly due to the last-ditch work of his defenders, and partly due to Morocco’s reluctance to shoot. 7
What a goal that would have been
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) December 14, 2022
Hugo Lloris gets a hand to Jawad El Yamiq's overhead kick which hits the post#BBCFootball #BBCWorldCup pic.twitter.com/1jUjDsB1SE
Jules Kounde: As a natural centre-half pressed into action as a right-back, Kounde unsurprisingly doesn’t offer much going forward but with Hernandez flying forward on the opposite side perhaps that’s not much of an issue. Demonstrated his defensive qualities with a goal-line intervention in injury time. 6
Ibrahima Konate: Selected ahead of Dayot Upamecano, who struggled against England and has been suffering from illness and on this evidence might have played his way into contention to start against Argentina. Slid in to great effect to deny En-Nesyri as the ball flashed across the six-yard box and that was not his only timely intervention of the night. 8
Raphael Varane: Provides invaluable experience in a backline that Lloris aside, lacks it. Got a vital touch to a Boufal cross just as En-Nesyri looked ready to pounce. Solid as ever in a Les Bleus shirt. 7
Theo Hernandez: Showed remarkable athleticism to volley France into an early lead, contorting his body to reach the ball as it bounced awkwardly in front of him. Has added an extra dimension to France’s play going forward but is far less accomplished in his own third and is given next to no help from Mbappe. Argentina take note. 7
FRANCE HIT THE FRONT
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) December 14, 2022
Theo Hernandez puts the world champs ahead inside the first five minutes#BBCFootball #BBCWorldCup pic.twitter.com/DS8N7OdYRv
Youssouf Fofana: Replaced Adrien Rabiot in the starting line-up and made an eye-catching start to the game with a couple of ambitious gallops forward. Played well without making himself undroppable and it will be interesting to see who Deschamps will pick in the final. 7
Aurelien Tchouameni: Handed the unenviable task of replacing Casemiro in Real Madrid’s engine room and N’Golo Kante for France but has risen to both challenges exceptionally well. Created an opportunity for Mbappe with a magnificent driving run through the heart of Morocco’s midfield. Has a bit of everything. 8
Antoine Griezmann: As was the case against England, France’s string-puller became increasingly influential as the game progressed, both in an attacking and defensive sense. He was absolutely everywhere, mopping up in front of his own box one minute, before setting an attack in motion the next. It’s no wonder Didier Deschamps and Diego Simeone absolutely love him. Messi or Mbappe will be crowned player of the tournament but he’s probably been better than both. 9
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Ousmane Dembele: Completely bottled a 50-50 with Al Yamiq that nearly yielded a Morocco equaliser and had barely any influence on the match. Offered a glimpse of his dribbling talent with an enterprising run forward in the second half but not his night. 6
Kylian Mbappe: Quiet by his standards but still played a pivotal role in the decisive goal, weaving through red shirts before his attempted shot deflected into Randal Kolo Muani’s path. Not at his absolute best but still made an impact. 7
Olivier Giroud: Lashed a shot off the edge of the post after managing to sprint clear – not a typo – of the stricken Saiss and given his Qatar form should have scored with his second effort. Subdued after the restart and withdrawn midway through the second period. 6
Substitutes:
Marcus Thuram: Missed a glorious chance to emulate his father Lilian by scoring in a World Cup semi-final with a header from a Griezmann delivery.
Randal Kolo Muani: Picked a perfect time to score his first international goal with his first touch. 7
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Morocco player ratings
Yassine Bounou: Has had a superb tournament but maybe could have done more to narrow the angle for Hernandez’s strike which crept in at the near post. Nothing he could do about the second. One of numerous players in this side to have enhanced his reputation over the past few weeks. 6
Achraf Hakimi: Pitted in direct competition against his PSG colleague and close friend Mbappe and while he threatened to expose Mbappe’s lack of defensive appetite once or twice, he also lost track of him a couple of times too. Didn’t quite have the impact a player of his reputation might expect to on this stage. 6
Jawad El Yamiq: Made a couple of timely interventions, first to hack an Mbappe effort to safety and then with a sliding challenge on Griezmann as he bounded into the area. Desperately unlucky to hit the post with an outrageous overhead kick at the end of the first half. 7
Achraf Dari: Was named as a substitute but pressed into emergency duty when West Ham’s Nayef Aguerd pulled out just before kick-off due to a thigh injury. Acquitted himself well given the less-than-ideal circumstances. 6
Romain Saiss: Miraculously started after being stretchered off with a hamstring injury in the quarter-final against Portugal but was evidently not fit and lasted just 20 minutes. The France-born centre-back looked understandably disappointed to make way but given his obvious discomfort, it was the right call. 5
Noussair Mazraoui: An attacking right-back for his club Bayern Munich but less adventurous on his unfavoured side for his national team. Similarly to Aguerd and Saiss, he has been hampered by an injury and while he lasted longer than those two he made way at half-time. 6
Hakim Ziyech: Can be frustratingly dependent on his left foot at times and France largely managed to keep him quiet despite a couple of searching deliveries into the box. Cut a frustrated figure towards the end after struggling to influence the game in the manner he’s capable of. 6
Azzedine Ounahi: One of the breakthrough stars of the tournament, whose performances have been “jaw-dropping” according to Jose Mourinho. Plies his trade with Ligue 1’s bottom club Angers, but more than held his own against contemporaries from the Madrid clubs and Monaco. Almost got a deserved late goal in injury time. Linked with Leicester in recent days but there will be a sizeable queue for his services. 8
Sofyan Amrabat: Will have his pick of Premier League clubs in January it seems and demonstrated why on 50 minutes when he gamely pursued Mbappe before dispossessing him with a ferocious sliding tackle that was met with a roar of approval from the stands. Another excellent performance but not quite enough on the night. 7
Sofiane Boufal: An absolute livewire; you wouldn’t want to face him in six-a-side, that’s for sure. Bizarrely booked for catching Hernandez who proceeded to clatter into him – an incident that could arguably have been given as a Morocco penalty rather than a France free-kick. Considering his impact his substitution after 65 minutes was a surprise. 7
Youssef En-Nesyri: A bystander in the first half, touching the ball only three times – 11 fewer than any other player. Was a yard or two off the pace and failed to cause the same issues against the French defence as he did against Portugal. 5
Substitutes:
Selim Amallah: Introduced early in the game as Saiss’ replacement and provided drive and purpose to the midfield. 6
Yahia Attiyat Allah: Doesn’t have the profile or big game experience that Mazraoui does but is much more comfortable at left back and offered more in attack than the Bayern man. 6
Abderrazak Hamdallah: Dawdled on the ball when the whole world implored him to “Shoooooot!” 5
Zakaria Aboukhlal: Has made a few impressive cameos off the bench during the tournament and ran rings around Kounde towards the end. 7
Abde Ezzalzouli: Brought on late on. N/A
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