The curse of defending champions might finally come to an end. Battered by injuries but united by the ultimate goal, France are just one step away from repeating the heroics of Russia in Qatar. Les Blues defeated Morocco in their 2022 FIFA World Cup semifinal on December 15 (Saturday) and booked a final tie against Lionel Messi's Morocco. Ahead of France's final clash, we take a look at their journey in the 2022 World Cup so far:
Goals scored: 12
Goals conceded: 5
Top scorer: Kylian Mbappe - 5
Most assists: Antoine Griezmann - 3
Group stage
France began their 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign with a commanding 4-1 win over Australia. Giroud scored a brace while Mbappe and Adrien Rabiot chipped in with a goal each. In their second game, Les Blues rode on Mbappe's brace to fend off a stiff challenge from a dogged Denmark side. France ended up winning the game 2-1. Having secured their qualification for the knockouts, France fielded their second-string side against Tunisia in the last group-stage game, and as it turned out, the defending champions suffered an agonising 0-1 loss.
Round of 16: 3-1 win over Poland
Mbappe's stunning brace coupled with Giroud's historic goal powered France to a dominant 3-1 win over Poland in the Round of 16. Robert Lewandowski scored the only goal for Poland but overall, France registered a resounding victory to kick-start their knockout stage campaign.
Quarterfinal: 2-1 win over England
Aurelien Tchouameni and Oliver Giroud were on target for France in the quarter-final as Les Blues held their nerve to outmuscle a strong England side 2-1. The Three Lions captain Harry Kane converted one penalty and missed another that kept France's dream of defending the crown alive.
Semi-final vs Morocco
Defending champions France will square off against giant slayers Morocco, who became the first African nation to qualify for the semi-finals in FIFA World Cup. The match will be played at Al Bayt Stadium on Thursday (December 15) morning at 12:30 am IST.
Final
