France has reached their third World Cup final, beating Belgium 1-0 on Tuesday to advance to Sunday’s championship game. They’ll meet the winner of Wednesday’s England-Croatia match.
The French took the lead through Barcelona center back Samuel Umtiti in the 51st minute, scoring a header off a corner from Antoine Greizmann.
#MundialTelemundo ¡Por los aires! Se eleva @samumtiti y pone al frente a #FRA sobre #BEL . Así lo narró 🎙 @AndresCantorGOL pic.twitter.com/kYNX2UAD75
— Telemundo Deportes (@TelemundoSports) July 10, 2018
France was the more dangerous team throughout the match, more than doubling Belgium’s total shots 19 to nine.
Belgium had their best chance in the 22nd minute, when captain Hugo Lloris saved from Tottenham teammate Toby Alderweireld.
But Belgium keeper Thibault Courtois had his share of great saves, including this one in the 39th minute after a shot by Benjamin Pavard.
#MundialTelemundo ¡Atajada milagrosa! Thibaut Courtois mantiene en cero el arco de #BEL ante #FRA pic.twitter.com/AchFRwXH3R
— Telemundo Deportes (@TelemundoSports) July 10, 2018
France won the World Cup in 1998 when they hosted the event, and were finalists in 2006, where they fell to Italy on penalties. They’ve also been crowned European champions twice, in 1984 and 2000, and were runners-up as hosts in 2016.
As for Belgium, this ends a particularly successful patch under Roberto Martinez. Belgium qualified top of their group for the World Cup win nine wins and a draw, won their first five matches at the World Cup this year, and hadn’t lost a friendly since September 2016, Martinez’s first match in charge. But the end result of this tournament will leave a sour taste in the mouths of supporters, given the 2016 Euro quarterfinal exit and the 2014 World Cup exit in the same round.
