Raphael Varane to play in 2018 World Cup Final

Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane will be heading to the 2018 World Cup Final. Here’s a look at his country’s victory what this means for France.

France played against Belgium in the Semi-Finals of the 20018 World Cup. Their 1-0 victory despite 35% possession has granted them a place in the Final. Les Bleus will play against either Croatian or England, the two teams who face one another in the other Semi-Final fixture.

Varane and his side opted to sit back and wait for their chances to break on the counter. The very pacey, young side caused problems for the Belgians who also had their chances. Real Madrid target Eden Hazard was without a doubt the best player for Belgium. Unfortunately, his team was not on the same level as they looked lethargic.

Match Recap

With 28 shots taken between the two teams, it was a wildly open attacking game. Belgium held most of the ball over the course of 90 minutes but registered only nine shots, three of which met the target. That conversion rate needed to be much higher if they had any hopes of beating France.

Both teams had a wealth of chances in the first-half from all areas of the pitch. Hugo Lloris and Thibaut Courtois though were on their A-game putting on masterful performances. Like in any football match there is a winner and a loser, meaning one of the goalkeepers would slip up.

It wasn’t until the second-half when the lone goal of the match would be scored. From a corner kick in the 51st minute, Barcelona man Samuel Umtiti headed home the cross. Antoine Griezman of Atletico Madrid whipped in the perfect ball to assist his teammate. With France on the front foot and Belgium chasing the pressure eased up for Les Bleus.

Eden Hazard tried ushering his men forward but more often than not it was to no avail. Both Romelu Lukaku and Marouane Fellaini had several chases inside France’s box but were unable to convert. Kevin de Bruyne himself had a decent game but had much better displays this World Cup.

Even with six minutes of injury time, Belgium lacked the cohesion to bring the game level. The closing moments of the match saw some poor character from France as they tried to waste time.

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Nonetheless, a win is a win and the French National Team are headed to the Final. They will have their shot at being crowned as the best in the world on Sunday. It has been a long time coming for Les Bleus with their last title coming in 1998. Since then they have made one Finals appearance which they lost against Italy in 2006. After their blunder in the 2016 Euro Cup against Portugal, redemption is on the line.