1998 winners to face either England or Croatia in Sunday's final
Tuesday 10 July 2018 23:25, UK
We round up Tuesday's talking points as France overcome Belgium to reach the World Cup final.
Here are all the talking points from the 27th day of this summer's World Cup...
Samuel Umtiti was the hero for France as his second-half header sealed a 1-0 victory over Belgium and a place in the World Cup final.
The Barcelona defender rose high at the near post on 51 minutes to divert an Antoine Griezmann corner beyond Thibaut Courtois as France edged a tense, tactical semi-final in Saint Petersburg against their European neighbours.
Sensational saves from Hugo Lloris and Thibaut Courtois prevented the game from setting alight in the first half before Umtiti's strike and a resilient defensive unit proved too tough an obstacle for Roberto Martinez's men to overcome.
The result means France can set their sights on Moscow and a third World Cup final, where either England or Croatia stand between them and football's greatest prize, while it will be bronze at best for Belgium's golden generation.
France manager Didier Deschamps: "I'm very proud of the players, I'm very proud of their mentality as well because I know it's not just that you are playing at a high level that you are going to score goals but with our state of mind we can climb mountains and that's what we've done so far."
Belgium manager Roberto Martinez: "It was a close game and it was very tight and it was going to be decided by that bit of luck in front of goal. The attitude of the players was brilliant and we couldn't ask for anymore. We have to understand one team wins and the other loses, and we did what we could."
French sensation Kylian Mbappe once again underlined his mouth-watering potential with a breath-taking performance in Saint Petersburg.
Mbappe gave an early signal of intent when he embarked upon a fleet-footed run within seconds of the kick-off, and would go on to torment the Belgium defence throughout.
His pace and agility set up a hatful of chances for his team-mates, most notably a second-half backheel for Olivier Giroud. Given his ruthlessness in front of goal, it was just a pity none fell to the Paris Saint-Germain forward.
Whether Mbappe scores again in Russia remains to be seen but another goal for the tournament's breakthrough star in Sunday's final will only further cement his status as the next superstar of world football.
Antoine Griezmann has been directly involved in 20 goals in his last 20 competitive games for France (12 goals, eight assists). The Atletico Madrid forward has been directly involved in 13 of France's last 20 goals scored in major tournaments (World Cup and Euros), with nine goals and four assists.
His involvement at Russia 2018 may have ended some time ago but Cristiano Ronaldo sent tremors around the football world on Tuesday when news broke of his decision to leave Real Madrid for Juventus.
The Portugal international has agreed to join the Serie A champions on a four-year deal worth £105m, ending his trophy-laden nine-year spell at the Bernabeu.
The timing of the announcement came in typical Ronaldo fashion, an hour before kick-off in Saint Petersburg. It's not like the five-time Ballon d'Or winner to try and steal the limelight, is it?
