France has reached their third World Cup final in the past 20 years courtesy of a 1-0 victory over Belgium in their last-four clash at the Krestovsky Stadium in Saint Petersburg.
Samuel Umtiti was the unlikely hero for Les Bleus with a header early in the second half which proved to be the winning goal in a match high on quality, albeit low on goals.
A pulsating first half saw both sides miss chances and both goalkeepers pull off memorable saves, but it was France who ultimately came out on top in the star-studded contest to set up a World Cup final showdown against either Croatia or England.
It was almost end-to-end football until the end of the half from that point on as the quality of both teams began to shine through, and France had the first shot on target of the match moments later when Blaise Matuidi – back from suspension for this match – stung the palms of Thibaut Courtois with a powerful strike from range.
Lukaku was immediately more involved at the start of the second half, though, climbing above Varane to get his head to Axel Witsel’s cross only to put his effort comfortably over the crossbar.
It was a promising start to the second half for Belgium, but that soon came to a shuddering halt when France broke the deadlock six minutes after the restart, with Umtiti rising above Marouane Fellaini at the near post and flicking his header past Courtois.
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