France beat Morocco to reach World Cup final - reaction

Morocco coach Walid Regragui: "We gave the maximum, that's the most important.

"We had some injuries, we lost Aguerd in the warm-up, Saiss, Mazraoui... but there are no excuses.

"We paid for the slightest mistake. We didn't get into the game well, we had too much technical waste in the first half, and the second goal kills us, but that doesn't take away everything we did before."

Morocco had 61% possession in this match. They averaged 32% possession in their five-match unbeaten run to the semi-finals.

France manager Didier Deschamps: "There's emotion, there's pride, there's going to be a final step.

"We have been together with the players for a month, it's never easy. There's happiness so far."

France do have the advantage of being in the final and winning it four years ago. You know how to handle the pressure, you've been there, but they have new players and it will be new for them.

It might be the first time some of them have played against Lionel Messi as well. The pressure will be there.

This France team are very, very competitive, especially with Didier Deschamps as their manager. They want to win it back to back.

France President Emmanuel Macron, who was in the stands at Al Bayt stadium, said: "Our compatriots need simple and pure joy, sport provides it and soccer in particular.

"We suffered a lot but we saw a great team. A huge thank you to our coach and to this team which is in fact a mixture of several generations and that is what is great."

Deschamps is doing an incredible job. You have to count us among the top nations in those competitions. It wasn't always pretty and it wasn't tonight and I don't think it was good enough.

If you play like this against Argentina on Sunday, you don't win but it doesn't matter because this is a winning team.

It is very mixed feelings, because tonight I can guarantee you there are people who are very happy who are happy about the result and this is a game about results. There are other people that would think the team should be playing better than they are even with the players that are missing. With this squad and this talent.

You shouldn't have 39% possession of the ball against Morocco in the semi-final of the World Cup when you have a better squad than them, when you have the experience that they don't have. I can understand the debate and it was exactly the same in 2018.

This team is very similar to the team that won in 2018 and it would be because it's the same coach but the debate again between today and Sunday will be exactly the same. It is a fair case to say they could play better.

Deschamps has made this team a ruthless winning team. That's all they care about. It's all about winning.

France's Theo Hernandez: "Playing two World Cup finals in a row is an incredible moment.

"We did a good job. It was hard, but we are in the final."

I look at this Argentina side and I see one very similar to the side that won the World Cup in 1986.

They are very aggressive, they have a lot of strong, powerful players, not hugely gifted talent all over the field but they have a really good centre forward in Jorge Valdano in 1986 and now Julian Alvarez and then they give the ball to a genius, Maradona and now Messi.

It is a similar approach, will it be good enough?

Despite the result, Morocco supporters watching in Cricklewood gave a huge cheer as the full-time whistle blew. They feel immense pride in their team's achievement and how it has put Morocco - and the Arab world - on the map.

In freezing conditions, it wasn't only Moroccan nationals watching under blankets, drinking tea and smoking shisha. Tunisians, Algerians and Egyptians were in Cafe Prego. "We are all one nation," said one fan who believes the tournament in Qatar has been the best World Cup ever and has united London's Arab diaspora.

The man of the match - from BBC Sport readers' player ratings was Morocco midfielder Sofyan Amrabat (7.97).

See all the ratings here.

The Champs-Elysees tonight is a patchwork of French and Moroccan flags – fans from both sides, jubilant at their teams’ success.

Nineteen-year-old Oumeima and 21-year-old Sarah were parading down the road carrying a Moroccan flag as wide as their smiles.

“We were magnificent!” they said. “It’s extraordinary that we were in the semi-final. We’re proud of what Morocco accomplished. It’s historic, even if we lost. Anyway, it’s win-win, because we’re also French!”

The women and their friends say they’ll support France in the final on Sunday, but even if France retain the trophy, they say, “we won’t party the way we party for Morocco”.

BBCCopyright: BBC

The stars are aligned for this tournament [for Lionel Messi].

When the question is asked - who is the best, Maradona or Messi, and people say Messi has not won a World Cup. This could be his moment.

Argentina will target France's left.

Morocco tried to do it tonight with Hakim Ziyech.

You can see Lionel Messi or Julian Alvarez having success and creating chances.

We could be in for a classic World Cup final. France and Argentina's meeting in the 2018 last 16 was one of the games of the tournament.

Kylian Mbappe scored twice in a 4-3 win.

Argentina will know that the French team don't like to receive a lot of knocks. Argentina are really aggressive and they won't let Kylian Mbappe face the game. They will try and block him because they know he is the main man. It is going to be difficult for them to handle Tchouameni, Griezmann and even Dembele.

We don't talk about Dembele I think he has been helping Jules Kounde a lot. He has been working really hard.

Fairytale wise we wanted Morocco to win, but now we've got a two final with two megastars in Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe. It could be the passing of the baton. Who knows?

There are so many different sub plots to what could be a great game.

Aurelien Tchouameni is an all-action midfielder. He's got it all.

He's gone to Real Madrid and he has slotted straight into that team and that takes some doing at a club of that stature. That shows you he has the temperament.

In every game he has shown elements of why he's gone for that money and he's at a club like Real Madrid. He has got power, poise, skill, awareness. He's got everything.

He will make mistakes because he is a young player, but he produces moments that will take your breath away.

You have got to give Didier Deschamps credit for changing Antoine Griezmann's position slightly.

He is really enjoying what he's doing and he's working as hard as anyone on the pitch. He is doing an incredible job, both going forward and defensively.

He has been superb.