FRANCE 1 BELGIUM 0 (St. Petersburg)
France will play in their third World Cup final after eliminating Belgium with a 1-0 victory.
The action began seconds after the whistle as Belgium headed straight to the opposition box for their first attempt on goal. France took a more cautious approach to the first half but viciously threatened Belgium on the counterattack.
Despite possession, Belgium appeared intimidated and struggled to finish. The second half welcomed a strengthened France, taking advantage of Belgium’s weaknesses. Then, in the 51st minute, Samuel Umtiti found Antoine Greizmann’s corner and outjumped Marouane Fellaini to head the ball into the net for the 1-0 lead. Belgium retailed throughout the match with goal-scoring chances but simply could not capitalize on the moment. Umtiti’s goal secured France the first spot in the 2018 World Cup finals.
