France sees this latest World Cup run, 20 years after its lone triumph in the tournament, as a d\u00e9ja vu.<\/p>\n
As soon as the whistle blew to end their win over Belgium, Les Bleus started to cry, and what they just accomplished deserves all the tears they shed.<\/p>\n
France reached the World Cup final for the first time since 2006 and they advanced to their second major final in a row after making the Euro finals in 2016.<\/p>\n
Now they are focused on emulating what the generation of Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry, and Didier Deschamps did 20 years ago.<\/p>\n
Moreover, Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 put on a show for the world to see. He dribbled at Belgian defenders all day on Tuesday and his speediness was a constant headache for the opposition.<\/p>\n
France’s semifinal performance finish was a 1-0 win over Belgium, and the result shows the sacrifice for itself.<\/p>\n
Les Bleus left their heart out on the pitch to keep their goal unbeaten as most of their footballers played a specific defensive job in the game.<\/p>\n
That included the Mbapp\u00e9, Antoine Griezmann, Blaise Matuidi, and Paul Pogba, who sacrificed themselves in the defense side to hold Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne at bay.<\/p>\n
Matuidi took the worst part of it as he was fouled all game, especially in the second half, but the sacrifice he displayed was appreciated by his teammates.<\/p>\n
Pogba and N’Golo Kant\u00e9 was the perfect pairing in the midfield. They put in a superhuman effort to contain Belgium’s offensive weapons.<\/p>\n
Pogba played an incredible game as a defensive midfielder and his help was fundamental to keep his country in the run for the title.<\/p>\n
However, one of the best players so far\u00a0was goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. The Tottenham man had two remarkable saves that did not allow Belgium to find the net.<\/p>\n
Lloris has proven he is one of the best goalkeepers on the planet with important saves all tournament long.<\/p>\n
France’s objective is one game shy of becoming a reality.<\/p>\n
It will be their third final in a World Cup after defeating Brazil 3-0 in 1998 and losing in 2006 against Italy in Zidane’s last game as a professional player.<\/p>\n
In preparing for this match, Les Bleus are well-aware that all the frustration of coming up\u00a0short in their last two major tournament finals can be washed away on Sunday.<\/p>\n
France went through a challenging road to the final, starting with a 2-1 problematic win against Australia in Group C’s opener. But the doubts that surrounded them in the first match were quickly forgotten after they topped the group with a 1-0 triumph over Peru and a 0-0 draw to Denmark.<\/p>\n
In the Round of 16, they sent Argentina crashing out with a 4-3 victory following a convincing 2-0 win against Uruguay to face off against Belgium in the semis.<\/p>\n
The Red Devils made France feel pressure in the first 25 minutes but in the second half, the French took the game over.<\/p>\n
Maybe it is not the way Belgium wanted to finish the tournament, but they have to be proud.<\/p>\n
For the first time since 1986, they played in a World Cup semifinal. Even so, they were hoping for more this time around.<\/p>\n
Hazard and De Bruyne showed they are world-class players. In the first half, they had their best opportunities to score but Lloris came up huge in keeping them off the scoresheet.<\/p>\n
Belgium has enough talent to keep dreaming of their first trophy. Nevertheless, in 2018, their tournament ended two wins short of that ultimate prize.<\/p>\n