The French reached the final for the second time in a row after defeating Morocco 2-0 in the semifinals, becoming the first reigning champions to do so since Brazil in 1998.
They took the lead four minutes into the match through Theo Hernandez, who capitalized on a rebound from a Kylian Mbappe shot inside the box to beat Yassine Bounou from close range and slot home the opening goal of the match.
Morocco nearly scored in the 45th minute when EL Yamiq connected with a loose ball following a corner kick from Hakim Ziyech and attempted an overhead kick which hit the post.
20 minutes into the second half, the teams appeared to be evenly matched, with Morocco looking sharper and continuing to attack, but to no avail, as the French defense was rock solid.
In the 79th minute, Kyllian Mbappe’s individual brilliance saw him cause havoc in the final third, twisting and turning to beat three defenders and set up substitute Randal Kolo Muani, who tapped in what was the third-quickest goal for a substitute in World Cup history, 44 seconds after coming on—Morales scored 16 seconds after being subbed on in 2002, and Sand scored after 26 seconds in 1998.
The French will now look to become the first country to win the World Cup back-to-back in 60 years when they face Argentina in the final this Sunday.
