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At the final whistle, the pocket of French fans behind the goal on the left, with their tricolor colors and memories of 1998, could celebrate another triumphal night. France has arrived at the final of the World Cup and will surely want to regain its coveted gold title Sunday in Moscow. Players in blue kissed and a Belgian team made up of Premier League players will have to wonder if the time will come for their golden generation.
The sad truth is that she can not, but at the very least, Belgium will be proud of her good wishes, keeping in mind that the team of Roberto Martínez has eliminated Brazil to reach this semifinal and has largely contributed to what is recognized as the most attractive World Cup in memory. Here, however, they could not leave on an encouraging start and were defeated by a club with a superior mix when it comes to finding the right balance between attack and defense.
That will make France formidable opponents in Sunday's final. It does not matter whether it is England or Croatia who join them in the Luzhniki stadium, and especially when the feeling persists that they may be able to take their football to a higher level. It was a controlled victory, rather than exhilarating, but there were still plenty of reasons to admire Didier Deschamps' team.
Samuel Umtiti scored the decisive goal but the lingering memory could well be Kylian Mbappé's return to present Olivier Giroud with another chance later in the second half. If England can return to Moscow for the final, what a challenge it will be to keep this brilliant young player and this, even before considering the elegant brilliance of Antoine Griezmann, or the unusual gifts from a midfielder with Paul Pogba and N & # 39; Golo Kanté.
French fans celebrate in Paris after the World Cup final – video
France may have taken the time to start but after a slow start, they started to take control towards the end of the first half and six minutes after the interval, Belgium threatened equalizer.
At the beginning of the red team had kept the ball with some insurance that suggested that this could be a famous evening for Belgian football. In the end, Eden Hazard was starting to take too many risks and Belgium had obviously lost her mind. Even Kevin de Bruyne started to look a little wild.
Player ratings of France
Hugo Lloris 8 Exceptional first half from Alderweireld and solid thereafter; was an unknown star of the tournament of France
Benjamin Pavard 6 Fought against Hazard from the beginning, needing encouragement from Pogba, but gained confidence while Belgium lost his path.
Raphaël Varane 8 A clbad action that superbly mobilized Lukaku and made acrobatic interventions when France was stretched.
Samuel Umtiti 7 Decisive breakthrough with a good race and a jump, sometimes wavering
Lucas Hernandez 7 Affected the wide threat of Belgium and contributed to the attack when it was possible. Impressive tournament up to now
N & # 39; Golo Kanté 8 Another great performance from France's midfield dynamo, who repeatedly cleaned and put the markers in motion
Paul Pogba 7 Diligent showing with some important defensive contributions;
Blaise Matuidi 7 Usual pace to the left of the midfield, but his late injury will be a major concern.
Kylian Mbappé 8 In the mood of the first whistle and created chances for Giroud and Pavard; threat is impossible to ignore.
Olivier Giroud 6 Still looking for his first effort on the tournament target; here, comparisons of Guivarc & # 39; h seem valid.
Antoine Griezmann 8 Almost a man sometimes attacking, wandering everywhere, and installing Umtiti with a diabolical delivery.
Submarines
Steven Nzonzi 6 Introduced to consolidate things in the last 10 minutes while France maintained comfort
Corentin Tolisso 6 the icing on the cake in the additional time but was denied by the fingertips of Courtois.
Notes by Nick Ames
Romelu Lukaku had a tough match and in the last trades it was Corentin Tolisso, one of France's substitutes, who had the best chance. De Bruyne was back in the central circle to get the ball in his desperation to create something. Hazard did the same, and when Belgium really needed something special from its elite players, it never happened. It was a disjoint display in the second half and, with such a wide range of Category A players, a very disappointing one as well.
It is France that produced the most rounded display and created the best odds, usually in counterattack. They were set up to play this way for most of the game, and when Mbappé gained momentum with his combination of speed, openness, and raw power, anything was possible.
Thibaut Courtois 7 Recorded by Pavard in the first half and Tolisso at the end. Little chance of stopping the mighty head of Umtiti
Nacer Chadli 6 Operated as a de facto winger and having had an early joy but the experience does not happen. did not really bear fruit
Toby Alderweireld 6 It could have been so different if it had scored in the first period. Competent defensive table, barred with a yellow card
Vincent Kompany 6 Composed and rarely exceeded, he could not galvanize his teammates
Jan Vertonghen 6 ] had his hands full with Mbappe and was lucky not to be punished more severely at times.
Axel Witsel 7 saw a late fleshy effort paranulated by Lloris and was the most dynamic of a disappointing Belgian midfielder.
Mousa Dembélé 5 The surprise selection did not work. Looked heavy in possession and was replaced at the time
Marouane Fellaini 5 Should not have been beaten by Umtiti for the purpose; much less influential than during his two previous outings
Kevin De Bruyne 7 He tried everything to make sure that Belgium was free but could not enter the right areas often enough.
Romelu Lukaku 6 Back in a more familiar role, which was much less effective, receiving little reputation service.
Eden Hazard 6 Pavard wore toast at first but as the game was about service. Dries Mertens 6 Introduced as a striker right, but having little impact despite some demonstrations of intent.
Yannick Carrasco 6 Appeared for Fellaini but was virtually anonymous during his cameo.
Michy Batshuayi 6 Last dice shot as the clock set itself to six minutes of overtime, replacing Chadli.
Yet this was not a team that went for the throat – not all the time, anyway. Deschamps had even modified his training to use Blaise Matuidi in a more retired role than usual, reducing the risk of being open to the midfield. Griezmann held a left-wing role, rather than playing as a No. 10 clbadic, and it took some time before examining the theory – like many sides in the Premier League – that teams led by Martínez tend often to be vulnerable At the back
He had an offensive midfielder, Nacer Chadli, operating at the right back and a half-central, Jan Vertonghen, left. For all the talents of the Belgian team, where were the sideboards? Vertonghen, in particular, saw his work cut off because Mbappé was his direct opponent and the decisive moment of the game was telling his own story: a corner, a head and that was all that France needed.
The most surprising part on this occasion was to see Marouane Fellaini lose in the air. Griezmann swung the ball from the right and Umtiti had the race on his marker. The ball took off from his front but he also took a little distance to Fellaini before overtaking Thibaut Courtois in the Belgian goal
Courtois had already dismissed Benjamin Parvard during this first push of French pressure towards the end of the first halftime. Belgium, having started so well, had difficulties in regaining their comfort. Too often, their pbades have gone astray.
Lukaku had only one reasonable chance. Mousa Dembélé was replaced after an unusually mediocre match and, as Hazard and De Bruyne fainted, France began to hope for an exceptional evening and the opportunity to join Argentina and Uruguay twice winners of the tournament. world Cup. They will stop.
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