THIS was quick; not the sort seen a day before. France’s players only had a short celebration and it ended when Kylian Mbappe, who had swapped shirts with his Moroccan opponent and Paris St Germain team-mate Achraf Hakimi before putting it on, ran through a guard of honour made by his team-mates and into the dugout at the Al Bayt Stadium on Wednesday night. France know there is one more step to to be taken; the best team in the world will face the game’s best player on Sunday in the final of this World Cup in Qatar.

The holders had been put through the wringer by Morocco in their semi-final; the 2-0 scoreline not suggestive of the fact that the first side from the African continent to reach the last four of the World Cup had really given this a go after falling behind to Theo Hernandez’s fifth-minute goal before eventually being undone 11 minutes from time when substitute Randal Kolo Muani tapped in. In their bid to become the first side since Brazil of 1962 to successfully defend the World Cup, France have to shatter the dream of Lionel Messi, who has set his sights on guiding Argentina to their first title since 1986.

“There’s emotion, there’s pride, there’s going to be a final step,” France coach Didier Deschamps, bidding to become only the second coach after Vittorio Pozzo of Italy to win back-to-back World Cups, told a news conference after the game. “We have been together with the players for a month, it’s never easy. There’s happiness so far.”

It hasn’t been easy, especially this time around. Injuries had robbed Deschamps of the core of his side heading into this World Cup. His midfield stars of the triumph in Russia four years ago — Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante — were no longer here. On the eve of the World Cup, Deschamps lost star striker, Ballon d’Or holder Karim Benzema. Lucas Hernandez, one of his key defenders, got injured in their opening game here in Qatar. And on Wednesday, his most senior midfielder Adrien Rabiot was out due to illness.

It’s effectively France’s incredible depth of talent, the unending resource available to Deschamps — so many of them emerging from the Paris’ suburbs before being honed at Clairefontaine — that has seen them pull through.

Theo Hernandez, whose acrobatic finish gave France the early cushion against a Morocco side that had only conceded once in their run to the semis, started the World Cup second in the pecking order at left-back; behind his brother Lucas.

“I have a big thought for my brother,” Theo Hernandez told reporters in the mixed zone after the game, adding he’d received a call from Lucas Hernandez. “I’m proud to have won the game and it’s a very proud moment to have scored the goal. It’s amazing to play two World Cup finals in a row, we’ve done a great job. It’s a huge match. We’re going to work hard to win the final.”

There were also brilliant performances from Youssouf Fofana, the 23-year-old Monaco midfielder who deputised for Rabiot, and Ibrahima Konate, the Liverpool defender who was playing as Dayot Upamecano was on the bench, having reportedly also caught a cold like Rabiot. But while France might not have the same players, they remain just as solid as they were on their road to glory in Russia. And they are just as effective.

GRIEZMANN EFFECT

It’s largely because Antoine Griezmann is still there, although in a redefined role, deeper in the midfield. The 31-year-old, who played as the second-striker in Russia, was everywhere on the pitch, making vital interceptions as well as complementing the attack. It was when he broke through the Moroccan lines that France got their opening goal.

“Scoring an early goal made things easier for us as well and the second goal made it more comfortable for us,” Griezmann, named man-of-the-match, told a news conference. “It’s a tough game that came down to small details. We’re going to try and learn from this.”

Next up, Griezmann will come up against his former team-mate Messi, with whom he played with during his largely unhappy spell at Barcelona.

“Any team with Messi is a different proposition. We’ve seen Argentina play, we know how they play, they’re a difficult team to play and they’re in top form,” Griezmann said. “They have a strong side around Messi. We know they’ll have a lot of support in the crowd. We’ll see where we can hurt them and how we can defend against them. We’ll be well prepared. We can make history but there is still a very long way to go, 90 minutes or more. You have to keep your feet on the ground.”

It was four years ago when France and Argentina last met at the World Cup; Deschamps’ men securing a 4-3 win in Kazan to reach the quarter-finals. “I had to mark him at times when we last played,” France striker Olivier Giroud, who saw a shot come off the post against Morocco, told reporters. “In the final, the coach will decide about the marking tactics.”

With so much on the line, France will rely on their defensive solidity to shine through once again in the final. Although Theo Hernandez warned that they can’t be too much occupied with stopping Messi. “The most important thing now is to recover well in the next four days and be ready for the final,” he said. “Argentina are not just Messi, they have loads of players, they’re a great team.”

France captain and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris echoed the sentiment. “We need all our strength, all our energy to face a very competitive team with one of the legends in the sport with Messi,” Lloris told reporters.

There have been reports that Benzema, having recovered from injury, might rejoin the France squad for the final. Deschamps brushed aside that question during the news conference. But considering the depth of talent available to him, they would keep doing fine without Benzema.

Published in Dawn, December 16th, 2022