Les Bleus struggled against their formidable Belgian neighbors, but the essential is done: thanks to a goal from Samuel Umtiti, they are in the World Cup final!
For the third time in their history, Les Bleus will compete in the FIFA World Cup final.
After eliminating Argentina (4-3) in the round of 16 and Uruguay (2-0) in the quarter-finals of the World Cup in Russia, Didier Deschamps’ players have removed Belgium (3rd in the world rankings) from their path in the semi-final, thanks to a goal by Samuel Umtiti. They have a date on Sunday, July 15, at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow (5:00 PM French time).
The French team will attempt to secure a second world title, twenty years after the one obtained on July 12, 1998, at Stade de France against Brazil (3-0). It will be their third World Cup final after those in 1998 and 2006.
The match lived up to all its promises and remained uncertain until the end. Les Bleus suffered and were always under the threat of a feat by Eden Hazard, a constant danger for the French defense. Although the first half was fairly balanced, with chances on both sides, the second half saw a clear dominance by the Red Devils.
But as the second half resumed, the match shifted. On a corner from the right, taken with the left foot by Antoine Griezmann, Samuel Umtiti emerged at the near post and bested Fellaini with a header. The ball went past Thibaut Courtois’ post (1-0, 51st minute). Samuel Umtiti, who scored his third international goal, was named man of the match by FIFA.
The Belgians pressed hard to equalize but failed against a solid French defense led by Hugo Lloris and Raphaël Varane. Les Bleus had several opportunities to extend their lead on the counterattack, without success.
The second semi-final between England and Croatia will take place on Wednesday evening (8:00 PM, TF1), in Moscow.
Didier Deschamps’ reaction
“It’s something exceptional, I am really very happy for my players… They are young, but there is character, mentality. It was hard today against a very fine Belgian team. This goal did us a lot of good, a defender scored it. We had to work a lot defensively. We could have taken more advantage on counterattacks at the end of the match. Hats off to my players and my entire staff. It’s a lot of pride in relation to my group. I think we’ve been together for forty-nine days, a lot of things have happened, some more difficult than others. It’s the merit of everyone, especially those on the field. We’re going to play this final, the one two years ago hasn’t been digested yet, it’s still there… We’ll see tomorrow who we’ll face in the final.”
Paul Pogba’s reaction
“It’s beautiful, it’s good. We’re happy but there’s still one more step. Today, I’m happy but it’s not like the Euro. We had the chance to be in the final of the Euro, we missed out on something wonderful. We must not let this chance pass again. Today, we are happy, we are pleased, but there is still a great, great step. So we need to focus. We savor a little, quickly, but we need to focus on the final. The Euro was too beautiful. I always have that in mind. We were there, we were close to winning the title and we missed out. I don’t want that to happen again. I’m pleased that people are happy, but I hope to make them even happier on the evening of the 15th.”
