France entered the finals of the FIFA World Cup 2018 after defeating Belgium, considered to be among the dark horses this time, by a solitary goal to book their place in the final. France and Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti scored the all-important goal in the second half (51st minute), heading the ball past Belgium custodian Thibaut Courtois to keep the Les Bleus in the hunt for a second World Cup title.
#FifaWorldCup2018 | #France are in the final of #Russia2018 after beating #Belgium 1-0 in the first semi-final at St. Petersburg. Samuel Umtiti's 51st-minute goal takes the Les Bleus into the final. Full-time score:#FRA 1-0 #BEL #WorldCup #FRABEL pic.twitter.com/Wqy15pmI08
— NEWS LIVE (@NewsLiveGhy) July 10, 2018
Belgium dominated play and had more possession than the 1998 world cup champions but were unlucky to find an equalizer.
France will face the winners of the second semi-final between Croatia and England at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.
A place in the #WorldCupFinal is at stake…#CROENG // #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/tLaznO11aa
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 11, 2018
It’s the second time the Red Devils have failed to go past the semi-finals, the only time earlier in the history of the World Cup when Belgium made it to the semis was in 1986 when they lost to the eventual champions Argentina.
Belgium will face the losers of tonight’s game in the playoff for the third and fourth place.
