France is in the final of the World Cup. Coach Didier Deschamps’ team beat Morocco 2-0 in the semi-final. This means that France still has a chance to defend its title as world champions. For the Moroccans, however, the historic experience of having made it to the semi-finals with an African team for the first time remains.

Defender Theo Hernández scored the first goal in the fifth minute. After a defensive error, the ball bounced towards Hernández in the Moroccan penalty area, and he easily skipped past goalkeeper Yassine Bounou to take the lead – earlier than any player had done in a World Cup semi-final since 1958. But the game was far from over after that. Morocco started to create chances and France’s defence was clearly shaky. In addition, the Moroccan fans were much more present; when France had possession of the ball, loud whistles could be heard throughout.

The match was preceded by a curious accident: During the French warm-up on Wednesday evening, a fan had been hit by a ball from star striker Kylian Mbappé. The 23-year-old from Paris Saint-Germain had accidentally kicked the ball into the stands. Supporters standing next to him at the Al-Bait stadium tended to the man. Mbappé immediately apologised to him.

France will face Argentina in Sunday’s final. The match for third place will be played by Morocco and Croatia on Saturday.