• France beat Morocco 2-0 to advance to Sunday’s World Cup final.
• The reigning world champions held off a determined effort from the North African team.
• Theo Hernandez scored France’s first goal against the Atlas Lions.

France beat Morocco 2-0 to advance to Sunday’s World Cup final. The reigning world champions held off a determined effort from the North African team.

Left-back Theo Hernandez scored France’s first goal against the Atlas Lions in Qatar after just five minutes at Al Bayt Stadium on Wednesday.

Morocco responded to an early deficit by dominating possession and pressing for an equalizer.

Randal Kolo Muani scored the game-winning goal in the 79th minute to set up a clash with Argentina in four days.

France hopes to become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to defend the World Cup.

Morocco, the first Arab and African country to reach a World Cup semifinal faces Croatia on Saturday.

Hernandez had to lift his left foot high to hit a bouncing ball from a tight angle to conclude a sweeping play begun by Antoine Griezmann’s run down the right and Kylian Mbappe’s cutback pass.

Morocco’s captain Romain Saiss was injured in the 20th minute, further unsettling a backline that had already been unsettled by the last-minute replacement of Nayef Aguerd with Achraf Dari.

Aguerd, who was named to start despite a hamstring injury, was ruled out after Morocco’s warm-up.

Olivier Giroud missed from point-blank range after Aurelien Tchouameni’s barnstorming run down the middle.

The midfielder threaded a beautiful ball to Mbappe, whose miscued attempt was inadequately cleared, allowing Giroud a close-range first-time shot.

Morocco was never overawed and had opportunities of its own. Azzedine Ounahi forced two superb stops out of French captain Hugo Lloris, and curling set-pieces put the French defense under pressure.

Center-back replacement Jawad El Yamiq was closest to an equalizer with a magnificent bicycle kick on the stroke of halftime. Lloris got a key touch as it hit the base of the upright.

Morocco fans were proud of their team despite Wednesday’s setback and praised the Atlas Lions’ historic performance.

It’s history. Yassine Azami, 35, told Al Jazeera that the players made him and his country proud.

Azami, from Tangier, said coach Walid Regragui and his team will be welcomed home with “open arms” for their “great exploits”

Rahim Behraoui said the Atlas Lions’ performance in Qatar demonstrated they are real contenders for international football’s top prize.

“Today wasn’t our best. Al Jazeera’s Behraoui, 46, congratulated France.

“The French were better in every way… No one can say we’re not good enough to get here. We proved ourselves with Spain and Portugal,” he said.

“Inshallah, we’ll win” If not four, then eight.”