World Cup 2022 LIVE: France set up dream final against Lionel Messi’s Argentina after overcoming Morocco

On the other, and perhaps the most compelling argument for Gareth Southgate to stay on until the European Championship at least, is the emerging generation of young talent that his own work over the past decade has helped bring through.

There is a case to be made that Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden were England’s best players in Qatar. At 23-years-old, Declan Rice is already one of Europe’s leading holding midfielders. Mason Mount is only four days older than him. Reece James is a year younger than both. Trent Alexander-Arnold still has plenty of time to have a fulfilling international career if his unique gifts can be harnessed by a suitable tactical set-up. Marcus Rashford has earned his 50th cap and is only 25-years-old.

“I think we’ve once again shown the rest of the world that English football is healthy, we’ve got some very good players not only now but for the future as well,” Southgate said, finding positives in his side’s performance while the disappointment of the quarter-final defeat to France was still raw. “We’ve always wanted to develop a group that can sustain the types of tournaments that we’ve had. I think we are continuing to do that.”

There is at least one position that the steady conveyor belt of talent has recently struggled to fill, though.

Didier Deschamps was discussing the secret of his success. “There is no secret,” he said, providing the kind of answer to explain why someone who, in a few days’ time, could rank as the joint most successful manager in the history of the World Cup is rarely seen as any kind of coaching genius.

An understated figure has assessed a formidable CV while remaining relatively unheralded. Only two men have managed World Cup-winning sides, captained World Cup-winning teams, European Championship-winning and Champions League-winning teams: Franz Beckenbauer and Deschamps.

The Frenchman was one of the first to win the European Cup with two clubs as a player; as a coach, he has taken Monaco to the final, an achievement that has stood the test of time, and France to the Euro 2016 final. He has won the Nations League, which may or may not acquire more meaning in time. Now he could join Vittorio Pozzo, Italy’s coach in 1934 and 1938, as the only two-time World Cup-winning manager.

Is Deschamps an all-time great or a man who was in the right place at the right time? Both, perhaps.

One of his closest allies, his captain for a decade, Hugo Lloris offered some insight. “He has of course tremendous experience as a player and a coach at international level,” the goalkeeper said.

“He is calm and collected and transmits that to the players. He is an inspiration to the players. We have a great relationship between players and coach and it is not a coincidence he has been a coach for such a long time.”

Morocco’s head coach, Walid Regragui, who guided the African nation to a first ever World Cup semi-final says his players gave everything to get over the line but that reaching the final was a step too far this time around.

“We pulled out the stops and gave everything,” said Regragui. “We did cause them [France] problems and that is quite an achievement.

“My players gave a very good image of the team, a showcase of their quality. It is difficult to take, they wanted to rewrite history books.

“You can’t win a World Cup by miracles, only by hard work – and that is what we will keep doing.”

Ruminating on his team’s historic and marvellous run to the final four Regragui added: “Maybe it was one step too far. Physically, we came up short and had too many players at 60 or 70% fitness – and have been for a few games now.

“We realise we made a great achievement. We saw the pictures in the media, television and social media and saw everyone was proud of us. We wanted to keep the Moroccan people’s dream alive and we are disappointed.

“We felt we could have gone even further, but on these small details the true champions win.

“We have given a good image of our country and African football. We were representing our continent. People always respected us, but maybe they will respect us more now.”

Think of France in a World Cup semi-final and the image that may spring to mind dates back four decades. It is so vivid, so shocking, the assault by the West German goalkeeper Toni Schumacher on Patrick Battiston that it remains one of the most infamous moments in footballing history. At the time, it was not even deemed a foul. France, who played some beautiful football in that 1982, went out on penalties, moral winners in a 3-3 draw but actual losers.

They have won four World Cup semi-finals since then, three involving Didier Deschamps, none with as many goals as they got in 1982, none as memorable, each with something of a recurring theme. France were not necessarily emphatic winners, but they were winners. Like Croatia in 1998, Portugal in 2006 and Belgium in 2018, Morocco could reflect on what might have been. Like Croatia 24 years ago, another country in their maiden semi-final on this stage, they are entitled to feel they were the better team.

It may not matter. Better to be serial winners than gallant losers. If Deschamps’ trophy collection is impressive enough, he also has a habit of steering sides through semi-finals, from the 2004 Champions League to the 2022 World Cup. Each is a means to an end. The sense is that his France do enough and no more, offering a kind of efficiency, even if they had to exert plenty of effort on an evening when Morocco tested their resolve and their legs alike.

Only a few minutes were on the clock before a missed interception led to a Kylian Mbappe chance inside the area; though the initial effort was blocked it only fell for Theo Hernandez, who acrobatically diverted a half-volley in mid-air past the keeper and in.

Olivier Giroud then crashed a shot against the post and steered another strike wide, while Morocco tested Hugo Lloris from distance more than once and hit the post through Jawad Al Yamiq’s overhead kick.

The African side were utterly dominant in the second half but just failed to find a route to goal, before Randal Kolo Muani wrapped up the win with his first touch after Mbappe’s shot was deflected into his path. Morocco still had further late chances, but could not net the consolation they deserved.

Here are the player ratings from the second semi-final, as France now head through to face Argentina.

Lionel Messi and company may be waiting at Lusail Stadium on Sunday night but Les Bleus – who could become the first nation since the revered Brazil side of 1962 to retain their status as champions of the world – were pushed all the way before sealing a hard-fought 2-0 win.

Theo Hernandez struck early on but Morocco, the first African semi-finalists in history, more than matched their illustrious opponents before substitute Randal Kolo Muani’s first France goal settled matters in the closing stages.

While attention now turns to Sunday’s showpiece final, Deschamps will be keen for a clean bill of health after Adrien Rabiot was left at the team hotel instead of travelling to Al Bayt Stadium – while Dayot Upamecano and Kingsley Coman have also been struggling with illness.

“We’ve had a few cases of flu-like symptoms,” said Deschamps.

Kylian Mbappe ran to the crowd to apologise to a fan after accidentally hitting him with a wayward shot.

The incident happened in the warm-up before France’s World Cup 2022 semi-final against Morocco. In the clip, Mbappe jumps over the advertising board and makes his way to the stands, where a supporter can be seen holding his head.

The football star – regarded as one of the best on the planet – reaches out to the fan, who appears unaware that he is trying to apologise.

Impenetrable for so long, Morocco were first forced into and then thrived as a more nuanced version of themselves before bowing out with pride at the hands of defending champions France.

Invigorated by Walid Regragui and embracing such a resolute style without the ball, their game plan was torn to pieces within five minutes of this absorbing World Cup 2022 semi-final.

Les Bleus ruthlessly applied a pin to what was a burgeoning atmosphere filled with whistles swirling around a hostile Al Bayt Stadium packed with Moroccan support.

Argentina beat Croatia 3-0 in Tuesday’s semi-final, with Messi scoring a penalty and providing a magical assist. He now has a chance to win the greatest prize in the game, after coming agonisingly close in 2014.

“I feel very happy, to be able to achieve this, to finish my World Cup journey by playing my last game in a final,” Messi said, ahead of Sunday’s showpiece fixture.

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.

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.