France make World Cup final

ST PETERSBURG. - Samuel Umtiti was the unlikely hero, in a showdown dripping with attacking talent, as he scored the only goal that powered France into the final of the FIFA World Cup last night - exactly 20 years after they won the tournament on home soil.

It’s also a dozen years since the French lost in the final of the World Cup at the hands of Italy. The Barcelona defender joined a special club - four of France’s last six goals in World Cup semi-finals have come from defenders - Marius Tresor (v West Germany, 1982) and Lilian Thuram (two v Croatia, 1998).

In a tight game, where the two teams gave very little away, it was a header from Umtiti that settled the contest as France beat Belgium 1-0. The French were powered by a determined and organised performance.

The winners were too strong defensively and, despite the high level Belgium displayed to get close to the opposition goal, they did not manage to show the opportunism they had in their five previous games at the most important moment.

Most of their star forwards were marked out of the game while goalkeeper Hugo Lloris made some fine stops when called upon. Kevin de Bruyne and Romelo Lukaku, so unplayable in the last battle, were not given much of a sniff and it was left to captain Eden Hazard to provide the bright moments. France continued to brilliantly avoid the Belgium trap.

After being dominated in the first half, due to the awesome Hazard, they took responsibility and the control of the match after half-time. Didier Deschamps’ squad definitely has a thousand faces, and they could all be smiling at the end of this World Cup.

They showed another side to their game in this second half, looked more confident, and the goal helped. - FIFA.com.