DOHA. — France dismantled one FIFA World Cup dream as they moved a step closer to fulfilling their own as the thrill ride that has been Morocco’s campaign in Qatar came to a painful conclusion at Al Bayt Stadium on Wednesday night.
On a night of raw emotion and a cacophony of noise in Al Khor, holders France ended the romantic notions Morocco, this tournament’s glorious surprise package, going even further than they already had in becoming the first African country to reach the semi-finals.
Morocco’s magnificent support, who flooded into Doha in their thousands to splash the stadium in red, were left tearful but proud as France finally made class and efficiency tell, striking at either end of a gripping encounter to win 2-0.
As Morocco’s players, staff and their inspirational coach Walid Regragui took a prolonged and thoroughly merited ovation in front of those adoring fans with their dreams broken, so others came tantalisingly into view for Sunday’s final at Lusail Stadium.
Namely, France against Argentina — and Kylian Mbappe v Lionel Messi. The Paris St Germain team-mates will be international adversaries on the sport’s biggest stage.
The 23-year-old Frenchman is going for his second World Cup winner’s medal, while the Argentine genius — 12 years his senior — has one last crack at winning the crown that would bolster his claims to be the greatest to have ever played the game.
Mbappe’s status would be further cemented with successive triumphs, as France aim to become the second country to win consecutive World Cups, after Brazil did so in Sweden in 1958 and then in Chile four years later.
He was a scorer when France beat Croatia 4-2 in Moscow in 2018 and has the power to add to his tally now and in the future. Brazil legend Pele is the only man with three winner’s medals. Only 21 men, including Pele, have won more than one. It opens up remarkable possibilities for the France forward.
For Messi, the context is different.
He is at the end of a career in which he has won everything the game has to offer — except for that single, significant gap in his honours collection: the biggest of all, the World Cup. This is now or never after he lost the 2014 final to Germany.
It is Messi’s final World Cup game and Sunday is the day that could top it all, providing the perfect end to his story with Argentina. Anything else would feel despairing and hollow for the great sporting icon of his country.
The World Cup final could be one for the ages and, on the evidence of what we have seen in Qatar, it is too close to call. It could even come down to one moment of genius from the two players most likely to provide it.
France have got the job done in two tough knockout games against England in the quarter-final and here against Morocco. — BBC Sport.
