3 Things We Learned as France Outclassed Belgium to Book Place in World Cup Final
France will be looking to win their second World Cup in the 2018 final on Sunday, 20 years after their first, after deservedly getting the better of Belgium in a tense and exciting semi final.
It was far from a one-sided game, but the French were better in attack, better in midfield and better in defence, edging all three areas of the game.
Here's a look at three things we learned from the contest...
3. Belgium Did Not Choke
Belgium did not play badly in this semi-final and this was not a case of the Golden Generation choking like they have been known to in the past.
Instead, this was a case of being beaten by a better team who played to their own strengths and succeeded in limiting the likes of Eden Hazard, Kevin de Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku.
Lukaku barely got a kick because of the Frence defensive effort, while Hazard and De Bruyne both faded after strong starts to the game. France had their number and they had no response.
2. France are Much More Than Mbappe's Brilliance
Kylian Mbappe will take the headlines from the game.
The 19-year-old, who wasn't even born when France lifted the trophy in 1998, was the star performer. His pace made him virtually unplayable, while he added exquisite skill into the mix and yet was still mature beyond his years to make the right decision in almost every situation.
But France are so much more.
Raphael Varane was immense and was a major reason why Belgium couldn't get on the score sheet, making key tackles, headers and interceptions. Sometimes it can be easy to forget that he celebrated his 25th birthday just three months ago because he plays with such leadership.
Then there is Paul Pogba, who is having a fine World Cup, and N'Golo Kante, who is seemingly just incapable of having a bad game, ever.
Benjamin Pavard is a breakout star of the tournament, Blaise Matuidi put in an excellent performance after returning from suspension, and we haven't even discussed the quality that Antoine Griezmann consistently offers.
1. France Will be Favourites in the Final
It doesn't matter whether they face Croatia or England in the final, France will be favourites to win it after that performance to get the better of a very good Belgium team.
Nobody has doubted the talent in the French squad, with many actively championing how good their players all over the pitch are. Instead, the concerns were about whether they would be able to bring it all together and perform when it really mattered.
Les Bleus huffed and puffed in the group stage, struggling to get out of second gear against Australia and Peru, before that bore draw against Denmark. But they then exploded into life against Argentina, were clinical against Uruguay and stood strong against Belgium.
On paper, at least, there is barely an area of the pitch where England or Croatia are better.