France end Morocco’s Cinderella run in World Cup 2022 semifinal

France and Morocco will meet in the 2022 World Cup semifinal with a spot in the final on the line. The winner of this match will take on Argentina in the last match of the competition. France are looking to truly defend their 2018 World Cup title with a repeat trip to the final, while Morocco will hope to continue building on their improbable run. Morocco have become the first African nation to make the semifinal in World Cup history and will now try to add France to their giant-slaying list already featuring Belgium, Spain and Portugal.

Here are the latest updates from France vs. Morocco.

France vs. Morocco live updates

Full time - IT’S ALL OVER! France win 2-0 and will play Argentina Sunday in the 2022 final!

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90+3 minute - We’ve got three more minutes of stoppage time but this one is a wrap. France will defend their title, while Morocco will play Croatia for the second time in the tournament in the third place match.

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79th minute - A SECOND GOAL FOR FRANCE! Mbappe dribbles through the box and his shot gets deflected straight to substitute Randal Kolo Muani, who makes no mistake. The defending champs lead 2-0 now.

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76th minute - It seemed like Hamdallah was going to dribble through the entire French defense and get a shot on goal but the attack fizzles out after one of the defenders got a touch on the ball. Morocco have threatened but France and Lloris keep finding answers. It’s about to be a wild 15+ minutes as Morocco start throwing more numbers forward.

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65th minute - Giroud, the top scorer all-time for France in international play, has been subbed off for Thuram. Mbappe is staying on, so clearly Didier Deschamps believes his star forward is healthy enough to continue on. Attackers En-Nesyri and Boufal are off for Morocco despite the Atlas Lions needing a goal to keep their hopes alive.

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56th minute - Morocco have been able to put a few balls across the box and are getting good chances, but the final touch simply hasn’t been there. The Atlas Lions are on the hunt for an equalizer and if Mbappe is hobbled, France’s counter attack loses a lot of potency.

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52nd minute - Mbappe takes a rough challenge and is getting some attention. He does eventually get up and get off the pitch on his own power, so that’s a good sign. He’s also just now come back into the game but he might be limited.

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47th minute - Mbappe makes a great run around Hakimi down the left side for France, but his ball across the box doesn’t find anyone. Jules Kounde is able to get a long strike but it hits a Morocco defender. France have not been able to do much in the final third when it comes to putting together moves. They’ve been more successful on counters and speed play.

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45+3 minute - Lloris steps out to meet a Ziyech free kick with full force, punching the ball away. Morocco have been getting good looks on set pieces but still trail 1-0 at halftime to the defending champions.

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45th minute - WHAT A CHANCE FOR MOROCCO! Lloris had no chance on this ambitious bicycle kick attempt from Jawad El Yamiq, which found the post after beating the diving French goalkeeper. It’s been a good half for Morocco in the final third despite not finding a goal.

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36th minute - France nearly doubled their advantage on a brilliant run from Mbappe, who actually got the ball past Bono but had no juice on it and a Morocco defender was able to keep it out of the goal. A follow-up pass dropped the ball straight to Giroud, who once again failed to find the back of the net as his curving shot went wide of the frame.

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31st minute - Morocco are making some runs, with Ziyech finding space on the right side and attempting to get enough space to play a ball in across the box. Ultimately, Morocco were offside and the attack fizzled out but this team is not going down quietly. The speed of Hakimi and the craftiness of Ziyech should be on full display as the Atlas Lions search for an equalizer.

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21st minute - This is an odd move from Morocco, with the captain Saiss being subbed off in the 21st minute for Amallah. It must be some sort of injury for Saiss for him to have to come off in a match with high stakes.

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17th minute - Morocco are finding some inroads in France’s defense, particularly on the right side with Hakimi and Ziyech. Those two are the most accomplished in this team and will likely be involved in getting the equalizing goal. On the flip side, Bono just made a great move to prevent Giroud from scoring his fifth goal of the competition. Giroud’s shot hit the post and went out, with Bono cutting off the angle for an easier shot.

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10th minute - Hugo Lloris makes a nice diving stop on a great curving shot from Azzedine Ounahi, keeping the score at 1-0. Morocco will have to chase the game, something they haven’t had to do in this tournament until now.

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5th minute - GOAL FOR FRANCE! Theo Hernandez gets the job done and Morocco’s ironclad defense finally breaks.

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Pregame - According to DraftKings Sportsbook, France are listed at -165 to win in regular time. A draw is priced at +275 and Morocco come in at +550. These numbers are essentially in line with the opening odds for this match, so there hasn’t been significant movement. France are still heavily favored to advance at -350 while Morocco come in at +270 to advance.

Pregame - The starting lineups are in for both teams and we’ve seen some changes. Adrien Rabiot and Dayot Upamecano are out for France with an illness, which was reportedly going around the team camp earlier this week. Youssouf Fofana and Ibrahima Konate come in for Rabiot and Upamecano respectively. Morocco appear to be putting five guys at the back to counter France’s attack, with defenders Nayef Aguerd and Noussair Mazraoui coming into the side.