Sky Sports takes a look at the key storylines from the World Cup semi-finals; Argentina beat Croatia 3-0 on Tuesday night at Lusail Stadium; France play Morocco - out to become the first African nation to reach the final - on Wednesday night at Al Bayt Stadium; kick-off 7pm
Wednesday 14 December 2022 18:57, UK
France's defence of their crown and Morocco's miraculous run. All to play Lionel Messi in his date with destiny. England may be out but the semi-finals in Qatar promise to thrill.
Messi takes Argentina into the final in his last shot at World Cup glory as he bids to cement his legacy as the greatest player ever. But standing in his way are France or Morocco.
France are looking to become the first side since Brazil in 1962 to win back-to-back World Cups. They do, though, come up against a history-making Moroccan side fighting to become the first African nation to reach the final.
The final stage of the World Cup in Qatar is brimming with storylines. Here Sky Sports picks out some of the best…
France might not be quite the side they were in 2018, but four years on from their triumph in Russia, and they are firmly in the hunt to defend their World Cup title.
Injuries to Karim Benzema, Paul Pogba, N'Golo Kante, Christopher Nkunku and Presnel Kimpembe threatened to derail their campaign, but head coach Didier Deschamps has assembled another group united in its quest to go all the way.
The togetherness of 2018 that was lost at the Euros has been rediscovered in Qatar. Deschamps knows how detrimental disharmony can be to a group at a major tournament. "You won't win games because you have a happy camp, but you can lose games if you don't have one."
One thing that has helped Deschamps' France win games is having Mbappe, the tournament's top scorer.
The 23-year-old has continued his impressive World Cup scoring record in Qatar, with his five goals this time out taking him to nine goals in 12 tournament appearances. Germany's Miroslav Klose holds the all-time record with 16.
England saw to keeping him quiet on Saturday, doubling and sometimes tripling up on him. But the fear his presence instils in opposition teams creates space for those around him. Antoine Griezmann, in particular.
French Football expert Jonathan Johnson believes he is even more important to Deschamps' side than Mbappe.
"He is absolutely vital, he was in Russia," Johnson told Sky Sports News. "Didier Deschamps has always been very loyal to him perhaps too loyal given how his form suffered at Barcelona and then with Atletico Madrid.
"But Griezmann is now by far and away France's most key player. I think he is a very strong candidate to potentially be player of the tournament, especially because France should be able to reach the final."
Should France overcome their defensive shortcomings and leave Qatar victorious, they would be in esteemed company. The only other nations to win consecutive World Cups are Italy (1934, 1938) and Brazil (1958, 1962).
Whatever happens against France, this Morocco side will be remembered as heroes. They are the first African nation to ever reach the World Cup semi-finals.
It is a story that has defied all the odds.
Morocco head coach Walid Regragui had been in the job for just 100 days before Saturday's quarter-final against Portugal. Only three African nations had ever reached that stage before.
One of the secrets to his success has been incorporating the players' families into the camp. Achraf Hakimi's ritual of celebrating with his mother in the crowd immediately after each game has illustrated what a clever move that was.
"I think the coach had a fantastic idea to bring all the mums, because the mums are part of our culture," former Morocco and Fulham defender Abdes Ouaddou told Sky Sports News. "Their mums bring them power and energy."
Next up for Regragui and Morocco? Reigning world champions France. But do not write them off just yet. They've already toppled Ronaldo and Portugal, Spain and Belgium. Calling them 'Giant Killers' may be premature at this stage, but a win over France would certainly ensure they are worthy of the title.
The Atlas Lions have a few stars of their own. PSG's Hakimi, Chelsea's Hakim Ziyech and Bayern Munich's Noussair Mazraoui the most noteworthy. Others have emerged in Qatar.
Sofyan Amrabat has been the most impressive holding midfielder at this World Cup while Azzedine Ounahi has gone from relative unknown to revelation. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Yassine 'Bono' Bounou was the hero for the last-16 penalty shootout win over Spain and Youssef En-Nesyri the match-winner against Portugal.
Morocco will have the entire continent of Africa and the Arab-speaking world behind them, willing them to go where no other African nation has gone before.
When Argentina beat Brazil in their own backyard to win the Copa America at the Maracana in the summer of 2021, Messi fell to his knees at the final whistle and the entire team ran to their captain.
This was his first trophy on the international stage, the only question mark over an otherwise glittering career. The World Cup is the final piece of the jigsaw.
Having seen Cristiano Ronaldo accept defeat in his quest for this most evasive of prizes, the stakes have never been higher for Messi. Before his Copa America success, Ronaldo's Euro 2016 victory had him marginally ahead in the now 14-year-long fight to be the best of a generation - maybe ever.
Now Messi has the chance to end the debate once and for all.
The celebrations of two summers ago show just how much winning this World Cup would mean to these Argentina players. They are not just doing it for their country, they are doing it for Messi.
The diminutive forward has lived up to his billing so far and almost carried his nation to the final. His five goals can be matched only by his Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Kylian Mbappe in the race for the Golden Boot in Qatar.
Previously derided back home in Argentina for prioritising Barcelona over international football, Messi has put those concerns to bed in the past few years and timed his form perfectly for the latter stages in Qatar. He's scored against Australia, the Netherlands and Croatia on his way to the final.
This is his chance to do what he could not in the final against Germany in Brazil in 2014. To equal the achievement of Diego Maradona and bring the World Cup back to Argentina.
