France might have just beaten Morocco in the 2022 FIFA World Cup semifinal but the focus has already shifted to their highly-anticipated clash with Argentina in the final, scheduled for this Sunday at the Lusail Stadium.
Les Bleus beat the Atlas Lions 2-0, with Theo Hernandez and Randal Kolo Muani netting the two goals. This means that the European giants are just one game away from becoming the first team since Brazil in 1962 to win this trophy in back-to-back tournaments.
However, will Mbappe and Co. be able to handle La Albiceleste and, in particular, Lionel Messi? Theo Hernandez gave his thoughts on this matter after the final whistle.
The AC Milan left-back, who broke the deadlock in yesterday's semifinal after only five minutes, spoke to RAI Sports about his nation's confidence heading into Sunday's finale and understandably mentioned Leo in the conversation.
However, the defender sent out a brave message: France do not fear the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner. Here's what Hernandez had to say about their upcoming clash with La Albiceleste: "Playing two World Cup finals in a row is an incredible moment.
"We did a good job, it was hard, but we are in the final, we will work hard to win this final.
"Now we have to think about the final. I'm tired, but it's nice to win a World Cup semi-final.
"Now let's recover for Sunday. Messi doesn't scare us, Argentina are an incredible team but we have a few days to work."
Some might interpret this as the required level of confidence. Others might see this as arrogance given how well La Pulga and his fellow Argentinians have performed recently. Nonetheless, the two nations will face off in what should be an entertaining encounter.
The most interesting thing about this is that Theo could be the man tasked with halting Messi. Due to Kylian Mbappe's poor defensive contribution, teams have targetted France's left-hand side recently, with Bukayo Saka enjoying some success during Les Bleus' quarterfinal showdown with England.
Given that Leo has played on the right throughout his career, the iconic attacker could cross paths with the Serie A ace. Morocco targetted Theo's flank in the semifinal defeat and were often overloading Deschamps' men.
While the Atlas Lions' lack of quality in the final third went in Les Bleus' favor, France would be mistaken to expect something similar from a team that has Lionel Messi, Julian Alvarez, Lautaro Martinez, Angel Di Maria, and Enzo Fernandez at their disposal.
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