France vs Morocco LIVE World Cup 2022 result and reaction as Les Bleus fight their way into final

Theo Hernandez and Randal Kolo Muani scored the vital goals as France battled past plucky Morocco 2-0 in a compelling semi-final at the World Cup in Qatar.

Les Bleus are now just one victory away from becoming only the third team in history to win back-to-back men's World Cups as they look to follow in the foosteps of the Italy team in 1934 and 1938 and Brazil’s 1958 and 1962 stars.

Argentina lie in wait in the final on Sunday, with PSG teammates Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi preparing to do battle as their respective teams' talismen.

Mbappe had a hand in France's second goal against Morocco as he showed quick feet to evade defenders and saw his shot deflected straight to Kolo Muani to turn home 11 minutes from time. That ended Moroccan resistance after the first African side to reach the semi-final of a World Cup had responded well to falling behind to Hernandez's neat finish just five minutes in.

Relive all the action with our live blog below:

World Cup 2022: France vs Morocco

• France beat Morocco 2-0 in the second semi-final of the 2022 World Cup

• Hernandez and Kolo Muani goals enough for Les Bleus to beat plucky Atlas Lions and reach second straight final

• France will play Argentina in Sunday’s final after they beat Croatia 3-0 in first semi-final

• FULL-TIME! France 2-0 Morocco

• 79’ - GOAL! Kolo Muani taps home after good work from Mbappe (FRA 2-0 MAR)

• 44’ - POST! Incredible overhead kick from El Yamiq strikes the woodwork (FRA 1-0 MAR)

• 35’ - CHANCE! Giroud puts glorious opportunity wide (FRA 1-0 MAR)

• 17’ - POST! Giroud thumps the woodwork with powerful effort (FRA 1-0 MAR)

• 10’ - SAVE! Ounahi forces Lloris into good save from long range (FRA 1-0 MAR)

• 5’ - GOAL! Hernandez calmly steers ball home after poor Moroccan defending (FRA 1-0 MAR)

FT France 2-0 Morocco

20:58 , Michael Jones

Full-time thoughts from Lawrence Ostlere at the Al Bayt Stadium:

“A valiant effort by Morocco. They have taken the game to France more boldly than England ever did but ultimately the result has come down to the same fine margins.

“Perhaps had they not gone behind so early things would have been different; maybe had they started in a 4-3-3 shape they would have got a better grip on the game.

“Hugo Lloris made some important saves when required and ultimately France once again found a way. France advance to the final, Morocco go to the third-place play-off, but what a brilliant, historic run they’ve had.”

Full-time: France 2-0 Morocco

20:56 , Michael Jones

90+6 mins: France have done it! They reached a second successive World Cup final and set up a date with Argentina and Lionel Messi.

Morocco’s brilliant World Cup is over and they’ve come undone against the reigning World Champions.

France 2-0 Morocco

20:54 , Michael Jones

90+4 mins: Off the line! Ezzalzouli drives into the left side of the box and cuts the ball back to Ounahi who whacks a shot at goal. The ball hits Konate and deflects into the path of Hamdallah but the forward is expecting it.

He knees the ball towards goal but Jules Kounde is well-positioned on the line and hoofs it clear!

France 2-0 Morocco

20:52 , Michael Jones

90+3 mins: Close! Morocco get the ball into the box and Ezzalzouli has a shot blocked by Griezmann. The loose ball comes out to Ounahi who spins to the left and shoots on the turn but lifts his effort over the crossbar!

France 2-0 Morocco

20:49 , Michael Jones

90 mins: Six minutes of added time to play at the Al Bayt Stadium. Probably not enough time for Morocco to get back into the game unfortunately.

France 2-0 Morocco

20:47 , Michael Jones

85 mins: Hakimi weaves inside then outside in an attempt to can’t around Hernandez who keeps him at bay and forces the Moroccan defender to run the ball out of play.

France are maintaining possession well, slowing down play and managing the game.

France 2-0 Morocco

20:42 , Michael Jones

82 mins: Less than 10 minutes to play now and Morocco are on the brink. That second goal makes a difficult task near impossible and France are too good at game management to let this lead slip.

Les Bleus will soon be heading into the World Cup final to take on Argentina.

GOAL! France 2-0 Morocco (Kolo Muani, 79’)⚽️

20:38 , Michael Jones

79 mins: Game over! France win the ball in midfield and send it up to Aurelien Tchouameni who gives it to Youssouf Fofana. Fofana flies up the pitch and plays it out to Marcus Thuram.

He slides a quick pass into Kylian Mbappe who dribbles through three defenders then has a shot deflected over to the back post. Randal Kolo Muani - a substitute who as been on the pitch less than a minute - is waiting for the loose ball and he taps it home!

France 1-0 Morocco

20:36 , Michael Jones

76 mins: Oh my! Abderrazak Hamdallah goes on an fantastic run after picking up the ball just outside the French box. He weaves past three defenders before attempting to get around and fourth and being forced wide of goal.

The ball comes over to Zakaria Aboukhal but his cross back into the middle of the box is blocked and France boot the ball clear.

France 1-0 Morocco

20:33 , Michael Jones

73 mins: Chance! France break quickly with Youssouf Fofana receiving the ball in midfield and spinning towards goal. He sends it out wide to Marcus Thuram on the left and then drives into the box off the ball.

Thuram slots it into his path but Fofana blasts a left-footed effort wide of the near post without troubling the goalkeeper.

France 1-0 Morocco

20:30 , Michael Jones

Lawrence Ostlere from the Al Bayt Stadium:

Morocco's chants are loud, constant and diverse, as explained to The Independent at half-time by one fan with several Moroccan flags flapping around his body.

‘“Always Morocco!” is a regular refrain. “Boys, bring it home!” is an impassioned plea. And "Goal! Goal! Goal!" is their way of sucking the ball into the net when their team gets close.

And they are getting closer.

France 1-0 Morocco

20:28 , Michael Jones

69 mins: Close! Walid Regragui makes another two changes for Morocco and switches things up in the forward line. Sofiane Boufal and Youssef En-Nesyri go off with Abderrazak Hamdallah and Zakaria Aboukhal coming on.

Aboukhal almost meets an immediate impact as Attiat Allah brings the ball down the left before flicking one into the box. Aboukhal leaps towards it but the ball skims over his head and France clear their lines.

France 1-0 Morocco

20:25 , Michael Jones

66 mins: Didier Deschamps makes his first substitution of the night and replaces Olivier Giroud with Marcus Thuram. Thuram has moved out onto the left wing with Kylian Mbappe now playing through the middle for France.

France 1-0 Morocco

20:23 , Michael Jones

63 mins: France have found this second half to be uncomfortable. They’ve hardly had the ball inside Morocco’s final third and are resorting to long balls.

Konate sends it up the pitch where Griezmann nods the ball across to Dembele on the right wing. He whips in a cross but Giroud overruns the ball and Morocco recover possession.

France 1-0 Morocco

20:20 , Michael Jones

60 mins: Griezmann is clipped on the ankle by Attiat Allah as he checks his run into the Moroccan half of the pitch. France knock the ball over to the right wing and give it back to Griezmann who loses out to Sofyan Amrabat’s well-timed challenge.

France 1-0 Morocco

20:16 , Michael Jones

57 mins: Morocco’s pressure will bring them their rewards. Hakimi and Ziyech combine again on the right and link up with Ounahi who drifts out wide to receive the ball.

He slips it into the box for Ziyech’s underlapping run but Griezmann is back in time to cut out his square pass.

France 1-0 Morocco

20:14 , Michael Jones

54 mins: Close! A Morocco equaliser looks closer by the minute. Sofiane Boufal weaves his way into the box from the right and looks to find Youssef En-Nesyri but the ball just evades the forward.

It bounces through to Yahia Attiat Allah who attempts a similar volley to Theo Hernandez’s goal but miscues that chance.

In a separate move, Morocco attack down the left with Attiat Allah carrying the ball into the box from the left. En-Nesyri is waiting in the six-yard box and the left-back gets the ball across to him only for Raphael Varane to intercept and clear the danger.

France 1-0 Morocco

20:11 , Michael Jones

51 mins: Nice! Morocco float a diagonal ball over to the right wing where Achraf Hakimi brings it under control before slipping a pass into the box for Hakim Ziyech. Ziyech looks for the cross but his pass is blocked by Ibrahima Konate.

France clear their lines and send the ball over to Kylian Mbappe on the left wing. He dinks the ball down the line and storms past the Moroccan right-back.

Mbappe gets the ball to the byline but is then cleaned out by a back-tracking Selim Amallah.

France 1-0 Morocco

20:08 , Michael Jones

48 mins: Close! Ibrahima Konate feeds a lovely ball up the pitch to Aurelian Tchouameni who flicks it around the corner to Antoine Griezmann.

Griezmann slides the ball into the box where Kylian Mbappe makes a run. Achraf Hakimi holds his PSG teammate back and gives Yassine Bounou enough time to come out and smother the ball before Mbappe can reach it.

Second half: France 1-0 Morocco

20:05 , Michael Jones

France get the ball rolling again for the second half. Morocco have made another change at half-time with Noussair Mazraoui taken off and Yahia Attiat Allah brought on to replace him.

HT France 1-0 Morocco

20:02 , Michael Jones

France have never lost a World Cup match when leading at half-time, winning 25 times and drawing once. Can Morocco come back and defeat the World Champions in the second half?

HT France 1-0 Morocco

19:58 , Michael Jones

Theo Hernandez’s opener is the earliest scored by any side in a World Cup semi-final since 1958, when Vava scored within two minutes for Brazil against France.

HT France 1-0 Morocco

19:55 , Michael Jones

Half-time thoughts from our man at the ground, Lawrence Ostlere:

“A breathless 45 minutes.

Morocco reacted well to going a goal down and, despite some hairy moments, finished the half piling on the pressure with their fans baying for a goal.

“The whistle couldn't come soon enough for France. No doubt a compelling second half to come.”

HT France 1-0 Morocco

19:52 , Michael Jones

Theo Hernandez gave France the lead after just five minutes in the first half. How vital will his goal prove to be come the end of the game?

Half-time: France 1-0 Morocco

19:48 , Michael Jones

45+3 mins: Morocco ended the first half brilliantly and really piled the pressure on the French back line through Hakim Ziyech and Achraf Hakimi on the right wing.

The Atlas Lions were unable to squeeze the ball past Hugo Lloris though and they head into the break with France leading by one.

France 1-0 Morocco

19:46 , Michael Jones

45 mins: Three minutes of added time to play and Morocco win another corner.

Ziyech swings this one into the middle of the six-yard box but Lloris is off his line quickly to pluck it out of the air ahead of any Moroccan attacker.

France 1-0 Morocco

19:45 , Michael Jones

44 mins: Off the post! Morocco win themselves a corner that Hakim Ziyech whips into the box. Olivier Giroud wins the initial ball and nods it over to Jawad El Yamiq who smokes an overhead kick at goal.

Hugo Lloris is called into action and tips the ball onto the nearest post where it bounces away and allows France to clear the lines!

France 1-0 Morocco

19:43 , Michael Jones

Lawrence Ostlere from the Al Bayt Stadium:

“Morocco look better since switching to 4-3-3 but they are being much more bold on the ball than England were against France, with mixed results.

“They are taking risks with passes into central areas which are then exposing them to the counter: it's fun to watch but Mbappe will capitalise soon enough unless they take a bit more care.”

France 1-0 Morocco

19:40 , Michael Jones

38 mins: El Yamiq had a poor start to the match for Morocco but he’s found his footing defensively. Antoine Griezmann makes a fine run into the right side of the box but the defender slides across him and pokes the ball behind for a corner.

Griezmann delivers the set piece and picks out Raphael Varane who flicks his volley into the near side netting.

France 1-0 Morocco

19:37 , Michael Jones

35 mins: Close! This is a let off for Morocco! They lose the ball to Aurelian Tchouameni in the middle of the pitch and he breaks forward before feeding the ball into the feet of Kylian Mbappe.

Mbappe brings the ball into the box, holds off Achraf Hakimi and gets away a shot that Jawad El Yamiq scoops away. His clearance only falls as far as Olivier Giroud with the big forward then curling a left-footed shot wide of the far post!

France 1-0 Morocco

19:34 , Michael Jones

32 mins: Morocco look more confident in their 4-3-3 formation. They’re seeing a fair bit of the ball although they have yet to really test France.

The world champions win the ball back in midfield and slide it forward to Kylian Mbappe on the left wing. He brings the ball to the left edge of the penalty area before pulling it back to Aurelien Tchouameni.

Tchouameni lets fly from range and hits Olivier Giroud who is stood in an offside position.

France 1-0 Morocco

19:30 , Michael Jones

29 mins: There have been some bright signs for Morocco especially out wide when the ball comes to Hakim Ziyech and Sofiane Boufal. Both wingers are sharp and willing to take players on but the African side are just lacking in ruthlessness and skill around the penalty area.

France 1-0 Morocco

19:28 , Michael Jones

26 mins: Hakim Ziyech puts on the burners to take the ball around the back of Theo Hernandez and bring it into the box. The French left-back recovers well to nick the ball back before he’s hit with a lunging tackle from the arriving Sofiane Boufal.

Boufal leaves a bit too much on Hernandez and gets himself the first yellow card of the game.

France 1-0 Morocco

19:26 , Michael Jones

Lawrence Ostlere at the Al Bayt Stadium on Saiss’ injury:

“Romain Saiss's injury is not ideal, but could it give Morocco a boost?

“Selim Amallah's arrival means a switch to the 4-3-3 which has served them well for most of the tournament, and England showed it is possible to pin back France with this system.

“Morocco's back-five was one reason why French left-back Theo Hernandez was able to get so far forwards and score the opener, but he will have to retreat a little now.”

France 1-0 Morocco

19:21 , Michael Jones

21 mins: The Moroccan captain is being substituted. He’s taken off after just 20 minutes with Amallah replacing him. The midfielder’s introduction will also bring a change in formation with Morocco falling back on their tried and tested 4-3-3.

France 1-0 Morocco

19:20 , Michael Jones

19 mins: Romain Saiss has already signalled to the dugout that he’s not 100% fit for this game and may need to come off. Selim Amallah is getting prepared on the sidelines.

France 1-0 Morocco

19:19 , Michael Jones

17 mins: Close! Brilliant move from Morocco who win the ball back and break through the inside left with Sofiane Boufal. He flies up the pitch and threads the ball into the right side of the box for Hakim Ziyech who hits a soft shot wide of the nearest post.

Off the woodwork! Almost immediately France repsond with a long ball up the pitch that gets flicked on to Olivier Giroud. He blitzes past the still injured Romain Saiss before smoking a shot at goal from inside the box and rattling the left hand post!

France 1-0 Morocco

19:15 , Michael Jones

12 mins: Achraf Hakimi brings the ball into midfield and shifts it to the right to evade a tackle. He’s pulled back by Youssouf Fofana and wins Morocco a free kick.

Hakim Ziyech swings the ball into the penalty area but it’s well defended by France.

France 1-0 Morocco

19:12 , Michael Jones

View from Lawrence Ostlere at the Al Bayt Stadium:

“Croatia folded very early last night and now Morocco have gone behind even earlier in their semi-final. They've steadied the ship in the past few minutes, however, and it feels important that they stay patient and grow into the game now.”

France 1-0 Morocco

19:11 , Michael Jones

9 mins: SAVE! Azzedine Ounahi has probably been Morocco’s best player during this campaign and he comes so close to giving them an equaliser.

He brings the ball into the final third from the left and cuts inside before curling and fine effort towards the far bottom corner. Hugo Lloris sees it late but leaps across and palms it away with a strong left hand!

France 1-0 Morocco

19:09 , Michael Jones

8 mins: Morocco have been so solid and so difficult to break down during the course of this tournament that that goal is quite shocking.

The African side had only conceded once in five games but now find themselves behind against the world champions and England showed how difficult it can be to score against them from open play.

France will want a quick second to take control of the match.

GOAL! France 1-0 Morocco (T. Hernandez, 5’)⚽️

19:05 , Michael Jones

5 mins: Sloppy from Morocco and France pounce to take the lead!

Jawad El Yamiq pushes out ahead of Antoine Griezmann as Raphael Varane threads a pass through the lines. The French midfielder spins off the defender and brings the ball into the box before squaring it to Kylian Mbappe.

He’s closed down but strikes one with his left foot that deflects over to the left side of the penalty area. Theo Hernandez allows the ball to drop then volleys it past the goalkeeper to send France into the lead!

France 0-0 Morocco

19:04 , Michael Jones

3 mins: Morocco have lost the ball a couple of times already when trying to play out from the back. On both occasions their midfielders have come to the rescue with Azzedine Ounahi and Sofyan Amrabat both tracking back to recover possession.

France 0-0 Morocco

19:03 , Michael Jones

Lawrence Ostlere at the Al Bayt Stadium:

“The Moroccan national anthem was sung ferociously by the fans around us.

“This stadium is not quite full, disappointingly, but it's not far off, and red outnumbers blue by perhaps 10 to one. This is a neutral venue in geography only.”

Kick off: France 0-0 Morocco

19:02 , Michael Jones

Morocco get the match started and send the ball back to goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. The African side have made a late change to the starting line-up with Achraf Dari coming in to replace Nayef Aguerd in the back line.

France vs Morocco

18:55 , Michael Jones

The teams head out onto the pitch at the Al Bayt Stadium with the national anthems getting played next.

Morocco are the first African nation to reach this stage of the competition. Will the also become the first African team to reach the World Cup final?

Or, will France make it into the last two for the second consecutive tournament?

Kick off is up next...

Regragui aiming to reach the final

18:53 , Michael Jones

Morocco boss, Walid Regragui, believes his team can beat France and reach the final tonight.

“Why not reach the final of the World Cup? We will show great desire and try to pull off an upset,” he said, “We’ve come to this competition to change mindsets within our continent.

“Before every match people thought we would get knocked out, but we’re still here. We’re getting closer to our dreams and we’ll fight to get there.

“If we say the semi-final is enough, I don’t agree. We aren’t satisfied with the semi-final and being the first African team to do that. We want to go further.

“You might think that’s crazy, but a bit of craziness is good. We’re hungry. I don’t know if it will be enough, but we want Africa to be on top of the world. I know we’re not favourites but we’re confident.”

Why isn’t Didier Deschamps seen as a coaching genius?

18:47 , Michael Jones

Didier Deschamps was discussing the secret of his success. “There is no secret,” he said, providing the kind of answer to explain why someone who, in a few days’ time, could rank as the joint most successful manager in the history of the World Cup is rarely seen as any kind of coaching genius.

An understated figure has assessed a formidable CV while remaining relatively unheralded. Only two men have managed World Cup-winning sides, captained World Cup-winning teams, European Championship-winning and Champions League-winning teams: Franz Beckenbauer and Deschamps.

The Frenchman was one of the first to win the European Cup with two clubs as a player; as a coach, he has taken Monaco to the final, an achievement that has stood the test of time, and France to the Euro 2016 final. He has won the Nations League, which may or may not acquire more meaning in time. Now he could join Vittorio Pozzo, Italy’s coach in 1934 and 1938, as the only two-time World Cup-winning manager.

Is Deschamps an all-time great or a man who was in the right place at the right time? Both, perhaps. One of his closest allies, his captain for a decade, Hugo Lloris offered some insight.

“He has of course tremendous experience as a player and a coach at international level,” the goalkeeper said. “He is calm and collected and transmits that to the players. He is an inspiration to the players. We have a great relationship between players and coach and it is not a coincidence he has been a coach for such a long time.”

Why isn’t Didier Deschamps seen as a coaching genius?

Can Deschamps win the World Cup again?

18:44 , Michael Jones

France boss, Didier Deschamps, has won 13 of his 17 World Cup as a head coach and is just three short of the record set by Helmut Schon with West Germany.

He has already won the World Cup as both a player and a manager but is on course to add a third world triumph to his CV.

France won’t ‘fall into a trap’ against Morocco, Raphael Varane insists

18:41 , Michael Jones

Raphael Varane insists France will not “fall into the trap” of simply thinking a place in the World Cup final is theirs for the taking.

The defending champions are just two victories away from becoming the first side to retain the trophy since Brazil in 1962 after reaching the semi-finals with a hard-fought win over England on Saturday.

Standing between them and a final against Argentina or Croatia are Qatar 2022 surprise package Morocco on Wednesday.

Les Bleus are strong favourites to get through but Varane is not taking anything for granted against a Morocco side who have conceded just one goal on their unexpected run to the last four.

France won’t ‘fall into a trap’ against Morocco, Raphael Varane insists

Can Morocco keep France out?

18:38 , Michael Jones

Morocco have kept four clean sheets at this tournament. The last two sides to record five shutouts at a single World Cup - Spain in 2010 and Italy in 2006 - both lifted the trophy.

World Cup security guard dies after fall at Lusail Stadium, say organisers

18:35 , Michael Jones

A security guard has died after a serious fall at a Qatar World Cup stadium, tournament organisers have said.

John Njau Kibue, 24, died at Lusail Stadium on Saturday (10 December), the morning after the venue hosted Argentina’s quarter-final against Netherlands.

Kibue’s employer notified the Kenyan’s sister, Ann Wanjiru, that the 24-year-old had fallen from the eighth floor of the stadium. Wanjiru then told CNN: “We don’t have the money to get justice for him, but we want to know what happened.”

World Cup security guard dies after fall at Lusail Stadium

From team mates to enemies

18:32 , Michael Jones

The venue for tonight’s semi-final is the bedouin tent inspired Al Bayt Stadium and it will see a battle between PSG team mates Kylian Mbappe and Achraf Hakimi.

Mbappe plays on the left wing for France with Hakimi the Moroccan right-back so these good friends will be seeing plenty of each other this evening.

The winner of this contest could be crucial to deciding which nation makes it to the World Cup final on Sunday.

Will France reach the final?

18:29 , Michael Jones

France were eliminated from each of their first three semi-finals (in 1958, 1982 and 1986) but have won their subsequent three matches at this stage (in 1998, 2006 and 2018).

Can they progress to their fourth World Cup final and second in a row tonight?

No special plan for Mbappe

18:27 , Michael Jones

Walid Regragui told reporters yesterday that he does not have a special system in mind to limit the impact of France’s main man Kylian Mbappe.

Instead the Moroccan boss says he will leave it down to Mbappe’s club-mate at PSG, Achraf Hakimi, to handle the winger this evening.

“He knows Mbappe better than me,” Regragui said about Hakimi. “He trains with him every day. I’m sure he’s better placed than me to know Kylian.

“I’m not going to set up any tactical plan to counter Mbappe. Unfortunately, France has a lot of other good players, Griezmann between the lines, Dembele is also the perfect complement to Mbappe on the other wing. Hakimi is one of the best in the world at his position too.

“They are both champions, both world class players. We shouldn’t be focussing on Kylian, but what we can do to cause problems for France. I have no doubt that Hakimi will be on top form to get the better of his friend.”

France vs Morocco

18:25 , Michael Jones

France are yet to keep a clean sheet at this tournament and have only done so in just one of 11 matches since June. Morocco are set up to defend but if they can get up the pitch they could trouble the French defence this evening.

France vs Morocco line-ups

18:23 , Michael Jones

The two rumoured changes from Didier Deschamps turned out to be true as Ibrahima Konate comes in to replace Dayot Upamecano in the back line and Youssef Fofana starts over Adrien Rabiot.

France XI: Lloris; Koundé, Varane, Konaté, Théo Hernandez; Tchouaméni, Fofana; Dembélé, Griezmann, Mbappé; Giroud.

Morocco also make two changes whilst also swapping up the formation. It looks as though they’re playing with a back five as Nayef Aguerd and Noussair Mazraoui return with Yahia Attiyat Allah and Selim Amallah dropping out.

Morocco XI: Bono; Hakimi, El Yamiq, Aguerd, Saiss, Mazraoui; Amrabat, Ounahi; Ziyech, En Nesyri, Boufal.

Regragui’s French connection

18:21 , Michael Jones

Morocco head coach Walid Regragui was born in France and spent much of his playing career in the country. He was asked at his press conference about how it feels to now be facing them in a World Cup semi-final.

“Yes I was born in France, I’m a dual national and that’s an honour, a pleasure,” he said. “It’s an honour and pleasure to face France.

“I’m the Morocco coach and we’ll face the best team in the world tomorrow. The most important thing is to reach the final. As a coach, it doesn’t really matter who we are playing, it doesn’t interest me.

“I am a football coach, so I focus on the game. If it was England we were facing, it would be the same. As a coach, you want to test yourself as a team, that’s the message I send to my players.

“When we play for Morocco, we are Moroccan. It’s a football match and should be a football festival, and for all dual nationals it should be a football festival. If it’s Morocco or France who wins, I’m sure many dual nationals will be happy either way.”

Morocco fans making themselves heard already

18:20 , Michael Jones

Lawrence Ostlere reporting from Al Bayt Stadium:

“The French goalkeeping contingent just emerged to warm-up and the cacophony of whistles from the Morocco fans away to our right was deafening.

“Then the rest of the French players came out and it was even louder. Bear in mind, this stadium is not even 10 per cent full yet - the atmosphere is going to be phenomenal.”

France vs Morocco

16:47 , Michael Jones

Good evening and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of the second semi-final at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The reigning world champions, France, take on surprise package, Morocco, as both teams try to book their place in the final on Sunday afternoon where they’ll take on Argentina.

Morocco have been the giant killers during this tournament effectively knocking Belgium out at the group stage before defeating Spain in a penalty shootout and Portugal with a slender 1-0 victory last time out in the quarter-final.

France have also looked strong from the get-go. They were the first team to qualify for the knockout rounds before sweeping Poland aside 3-1. In their quarter-final it was widely agreed that England were the better team yet France found a way to win through a perfect cross from Antoine Griezmann and a poachers finish from Olivier Giroud.

Not many people would bet against France progressing from tonight’s semi-final but Morocco have only conceded one goal all tournament and may just have another surprise victory in their locker.