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AL KHOR, Qatar (AP) — Darting runs. Key tackles. Well timed interceptions. Calming passes.
Antoine Griezmann did all of it for France on Wednesday, and now he’s going to his second World Cup ultimate.
Griezmann had distinctive moments in each penalty areas — and all components of the sphere in between, actually — to assist France beat an impressive Morocco 2-0 within the semifinals at Al Bayt Stadium.
It was a compete showcase of a gifted participant who has reinvented himself at this yr’s World Cup. And he’ll now attempt to deny Lionel Messi, his former teammate at Barcelona, of a primary World Cup title on Sunday.
Griezmann performed as a winger on the 2014 World Cup, then was France’s key scoring menace within the nation’s 2018 title win. He’s now an all-purpose midfielder creating possibilities for his teammates and snuffing out opposing threats.
It was Griezmann’s completely timed run past the Morocco protection that carried the ball into the penalty space that led to the opening objective on Wednesday. Theo Hernández was the eventual beneficiary within the fifth minute.
When Morocco put France underneath extreme stress within the second half, Griezmann responded with tackles, headers and blocks. All his boundless vitality was wanted earlier than the win was sealed by substitute Randal Kolo Muani’s instantaneous impression — and instantaneous objective — within the 79th.
When it was over, Griezmann slowly raised each arms and walked throughout the sphere to hug defender Ibrahima Konaté, who additionally was an immense barrier to Morocco’s persistent assaults.
Griezmann then went to console a few of his opponents, in search of out goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, who additionally performs within the Spanish league.
Griezmann has change into an ideal instance of how France has developed after 10 years underneath coach Didier Deschamps.
The crew reached the World Cup quarterfinals in 2014 after which performed within the 2016 European Championship ultimate, shedding to Portugal at house in Paris. The French adopted that with the World Cup title in 2018, and so they’ll get an opportunity to win a 3rd of their historical past on Sunday towards Argentina at Lusail Stadium.
The backbone of this crew — goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, heart again Raphaël Varane, Griezmann and striker Olivier Giroud — has been a continuing presence. Mbappé’s explosive velocity and targets entered the combination in 2017 and have introduced glory to the second half of the Deschamps period.
On Sunday, there might but be extra so as to add to the already spectacular checklist of achievements.
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AP World Cup protection: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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