AL KHOR, Qatar — France is back in the World Cup final, with Theo Hernández's goal in the fifth minute sparking Les Bleus to a 2-0 win over Morocco, ending the Atlas Lions' Cinderella run to the semifinals.
France will play Lionel Messi and Argentina for the title on Sunday while Morocco will take on Croatia in Saturday's third-place game.
Morocco didn't concede a goal to an opponent and never trailed in its first five games in Qatar but Hernández ended both streaks, giving France the only score it would need on a marvelous left-footed volley. Two shots from Kylian Mbappe in the center of the box were blocked but the rebound off the second try took a high bounce to Hernández, just to the left of the goal. He went up to get it, reaching out with his left leg to knock the ball by Moroccan keeper Yassine Bounou, who had come off his line, and past defender Achraf Dari on a bounce.
