Argentina v France: How the teams made it to the final
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Argentina v France routes to the final
Argentina and France will meet in Sunday’s World Cup final after respective victories over Croatia and Morocco.
Lionel Messi was the star of the show again as the Albiceleste beat Croatia 3-0 in the first semi-final and France reached their second successive World Cup final with a 2-0 victory against an excellent Atlas Lions on Wednesday night.
Both sides are 10/11 to lift the trophy, but Les Bleus are 33/20 favourites to retain their title inside 90 minutes, while Messi’s side are available at 9/5.
Here, we look at how the two sides made it through to Sunday’s showpiece as they look to win the tournament for a third time.
Argentina route to the final
Group stage
Argentina came into the tournament with plenty of backers but things got off to an inauspicious start as they suffered one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history in their opening game, going down 2-1 to Saudi Arabia.
That put them in a perilous position but a 2-0 win over Mexico, followed by a 2-0 success against Poland ensured Lionel Scaloni’s men made it through as Group C winners.
Last 16
Paired against Australia in the last 16, Argentina took control as Messi put them ahead in the first half, with Manchester City striker Julian Alvarez adding a second after the restart. It ought to have been a comfortable ending but Enzo Fernandez’s own goal made things interesting, with goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez required to produce a last-gasp save to prevent extra-time and earn a 2-1 win.
Quarter-final
The last-eight tussle with the Netherlands has to go down as the match of the tournament so far as it was a classic World Cup encounter, full of drama and plotlines.
Again, it looked like an easy night’s work for Argentina as Nahuel Molina’s opener and a Messi penalty put them 2-0 up with 75 minutes gone. But that was just the beginning of an ill-tempered story as former Burnley striker Wout Weghorst got one back for the Netherlands and then in the 11th minute of stoppage time he scored again to force extra-time.
There were no more goals in the additional period, just plenty of bad blood between the two sides. Martinez was the hero for Argentina in the penalty shoot-out, saving efforts from Virgil van Dijk and Steven Berghuis. There were some unsavoury scenes at the end as Argentina goaded their beaten opponents, with Denzel Dumfries sent off for the Dutch as he retaliated.
Semi-final
La Albiceleste booked their place in a second World Cup final in three editions as a Messi masterclass earned them an easy 3-0 win over Croatia in the semi-final.
The European side, who had beaten Brazil on penalties in the previous round, were no match for Argentina, who took the lead through Messi’s fifth goal of the tournament and third from the penalty spot. Alvarez added a second before the break and then some Messi magic set up Alvarez for a second as Scaloni’s men romped into the final.
France route to the final
Group stage
Les Bleus made relatively light work of Group D.
They emphatically bounced back from the shock of falling behind to Australia by registering a thumping 4-1 win as Olivier Giroud claimed a brace to move level with Thierry Henry as France’s all-time record goalscorer.
Kylian Mbappe’s double in a 2-1 victory over Denmark then secured progression with a game to spare before a much-changed side suffered a surprising 1-0 defeat to Tunisia.
Last 16
Mbappe continued his fine form to fire the French to a routine 3-1 second-round success over Poland.
A second-half double from the Paris St Germain forward, after Giroud surpassed Henry’s record by claiming his 52nd international goal on the stroke of half-time, set up a mouthwatering last-eight showdown with England.
Robert Lewandowski grabbed a consolation deep into added time by converting a penalty.
Quarter-final
Branded the standout game of the tournament by Germany’s World Cup winner Toni Kroos, France edged an epic encounter with England.
Les Bleus enjoyed less possession but displayed a clinical edge to progress 2-1.
Aurelien Tchouameni’s long-range opener was cancelled out by a Harry Kane penalty before Giroud’s fourth goal of the competition restored the advantage.
Kane could have forced extra-time but blazed a second spot-kick high over the crossbar of Tottenham team-mate Hugo Lloris’ goal.
Semi-final
France, who beat Croatia 4-2 in the Moscow final four years ago, were overwhelming favourites to once again reach the showpiece match after being drawn against the tournament’s surprise package.
🇫🇷 Theo Hernandez's acrobatic strike helped France fly into the #FIFAWorldCup final#LetItFly with @qatarairways pic.twitter.com/iaxMHGUa0X
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) December 15, 2022
Morocco had upset Belgium, Spain and Portugal en route to the last four and produced a spirited response to falling behind inside five minutes to a Theo Hernandez strike.
But France’s superior quality ultimately prevailed as substitute Randal Kolo Muani wrapped up a 2-0 success by striking moments after coming on.
All odds and markets are correct as of the date of publication
