FIFA World Cup: Calm and clinical France end Morocco's dream and prove title credentials

The Al Bayt Stadium on Wednesday had the feel of the Colosseum. From the semi-final which had Morocco fighting for another piece of history and France looking to get a step closer to becoming the first team to win consecutive FIFA World Cups in 60 years, it was the moment when the Moroccan anthem was played which will stay with us the longest.

It induced goosebumps. The zeal with which Moroccan fans, who had flooded the stadium in red, and players, many of them immigrants and part of the diaspora, sang the anthem, spoke for what it meant to the whole community, to the Arab world and to African nations. France defy hostile environment In a daunting environment like that, you could be excused for losing your nerves. Most of the teams and players would have become a victim to it, but all of that made little difference to France who booked a date in the final with Lionel Messi and Argentina after a 2-0 win . France, the defending champions, haven’t lit up the World Cup so far. Some of their wins have been scrappy. That’s no surprise given they’re missing some of their biggest names: Paul Pogba , Karim Benzema , N’Golo Kante and Presnel Kimpembe. What they are not missing is the DNA of a champion. That steely nerve to not let pressure have the telling effect. So, on the night, when there was hooting and loud whistling every time France had the ball, it took just five minutes for the defending champions to take the lead. They professionally managed the constant onslaught from the Moroccan team, which was egged on by the inspirational crowd and historic possibilities, and found another goal in the 79th minute through Randal Kolo Muani to seal the deal.

Morocco fight till last minute In between all this, Morocco continued to fight. Having only conceded an own goal in the tournament, Morocco were asked to chase a game for the first time in this World Cup. But they responded with aplomb to that challenge. The only thing missing was the goal. With captain Romain Saiss being substituted in the 21st minute, due to a hamstring injury, Morocco were even more liberated to take the attack to France. Coach Walid Regragui switched to a 4-3-3 instead of a five-man defence and that allowed the African side to have more numbers in midfield and final-third. In the end, they had 62 per cent possession and 13 attempts with three on target. Read | Morocco’s campaign provides its diaspora self-belief   On any other night, the incredibly flexible Morocco team could have had a handful of goals to show for their performance, but France didn’t let that happen. They absorbed the pressure and seized the top moments to make it a night to remember for their fans back home . They did something similar against England . Unable to win the midfield battle, France defended deep, wide and resolutely. Dayot Upamecano and Raphael Varane were rock-solid against England. Against Morocco, Upamecano was ill and Ibrahima Konate slotted in with a big performance. Youssouf Fofana played for Adrien Rabiot in the midfield and you didn’t even notice it. Across both games, France have scored four goals from eight shots on target. All four goals have come from open play. They are dogged at the back and lethal in the front. Also, this team in many ways is a lot different from the French sides of the past. Different from the defending champions in 2002 who made an exit in the group stage or the ones in 2010 who mutinied in the camp. The class of 2022 is calm and clinical and that could be the key in the final against Argentina who are being fuelled by their dreams and emotions. Read all the  Latest News ****,  Trending News ****,  Cricket News ****,  Bollywood News ****,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook ****,  Twitter  and  Instagram ****.