Kylian Mbappe establishes a confrontation with Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann continues to redefine his role in France – World Cup hits and misses | football news

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Mbappe sets up an epic match for Messi Photo: Kylian Mbappe celebrates with Theo Hernandez against Morocco

It’s Argentina v France in the World Cup final and that means one story will dominate. Lionel Messi vs Kylian Mbappe. The best in the world against the potential heir to his throne.

The duo, teammates at club level with Paris Saint-Germain, will go head-to-head for World Cup glory. Tied five goals at the top of the scoring charts, it could also be a showdown for the Golden Boot winner. Maybe even the Ballon d’Or, too.

The stakes could hardly be higher, but Messi is undoubtedly the one who needs it the most. And the 35-year-old confirmed in the wake of Argentina’s semi-final victory over Croatia that Sunday’s match would be his last World Cup appearance. His last chance to win the biggest prize ever.

Mbappe, even though he is 12 years younger than Messi, knows exactly how it feels to win it after he did it four years ago in Russia. He triumphed again on Sunday and will have done so twice before his 24th birthday.

It will be a crushing result for Messi, who has been in fantastic form throughout the tournament, fueled by a sense of destiny and producing his best performance yet in Tuesday’s 3-0 win over Croatia in Argentina’s semi-final.

Meanwhile, Mbappe produced his best performances earlier in the tournament, scoring braces against Denmark in the group stage and Poland in the round of 16. And against Morocco, as it did in the quarter-final victory over England, it burst into life only occasionally.

However, he, like Messi, looks set to take center stage in the biggest game of all time. Will Messi crown his legacy with his first World Cup in his last appearance in the competition? Or will France frustrate him and claim his throne as Nick Wright?

Griezmann redefines his role in dazzling style

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Melissa Reddy believes Antoine Griezmann played a pivotal role in France’s victory in the World Cup final, after a thrilling 2-0 victory over Morocco at Al Bayt Stadium.

The redeployment of Antoine Griezmann into the heart of France’s bid to win the World Cup in Qatar was hailed as a stroke of genius even before the ball was kicked off at the Al Bayt Stadium. His latest stunning performance, and the dismantling of Morocco’s history-making run to the semi-finals, has boosted the ratings.

Morocco beat Belgium, Spain and Portugal in a series of gritty performances en route to the last four. Their bid would even see the Atlas Lions pause Kylian Mbappe and Olivier Giroud’s quest for the Golden Boot, but their performances, however spirited, could not account for Griezmann.

After Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante were injured ahead of the World Cup, Deschamps was forced to leave. In an apparent move of desperation, the world champions turned to Griezmann to fill the gap left by two stars in their victory in Russia four years ago. It was described as a gamble but blossomed into a major hit.

How Griezmann, the great goalscorer who scooped the Player of the Tournament and Golden Boot awards at Euro 2016 and inspired France to glory at the 2018 World Cup, developed into a midfielder, who is as capable in defense as he is. He in attack, is the wonderful story of France’s progression to another final.

Against Morocco, Griezmann created twice as many chances as any other player on the pitch (four) and was instrumental in the run-up to Theo Hernandez’s opener with a superb pivot at the back. But his repeated effectiveness on defense was just as important, with three clearances, two tackles and two interceptions, keeping Morocco at arm’s length the entire time.

Mbappe and Messi will understandably dominate the build-up to Sunday’s World Cup final. But if France keeps the crown Griezmann helped secure in Russia, you can be sure his fingerprints will be all over again, albeit in a different guise.

Morocco, the story of the World Cup. Photo: Moroccan Yahya Atiyatallah condoles his colleague at the end of the World Cup, losing to France

Morocco’s World Cup journey is over, but what a run.

France ends Morocco’s unbeaten series…

The defeat to France ended Morocco’s run of six matches unbeaten at the World Cup (won three, drew three), and was their first loss in the finals since their 1-0 defeat by Portugal in the group stage in 2018.

There was disappointment for the Moroccan players at the final whistle after their 2-0 defeat by France. They missed the opportunity to make more history and reach the World Cup final, but despite the disappointment, there should also be pride in what they achieved in Qatar.

Walid Regragui’s team shocked the world by defeating Belgium, Spain and Portugal on their impressive run to the quarter-finals. Their great support also made the matches huge occasions, creating an exceptional atmosphere in the stadiums.

In the end, France proved one too many hurdles, especially with injury problems that led to West Ham defender Nayef Aguird withdrawing from the starting line-up just before kick-off and Romain Saïss being knocked out after only 21 minutes into the semi-finals.

However, when this group of players look back, they made history by becoming the first African team to reach the semi-finals, and they will always have that history on their side. Let’s not forget that they can create more history with their third-place finish, if they beat Croatia on Saturday.

Image: Morocco’s players are seen kneeling at the end of the match against France

Morocco is the story of the World Cup. This was shown in the emotional scenes at the final whistle on Wednesday night as Didier Deschamps embraced the Moroccan players. He knew how important they were in this tournament.

They were pushed to the finish line by their supporters in Qatar, and there is no doubt that they will come home as champions when they finally make it back to Morocco, and rightly so.

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