Argentina and France: Routes to the World Cup final
France players celebrate after France's forward #12 Randal Kolo Muani (centre) scored his team's second goal during their Qatar 2022 World Cup semi-final match against Morocco at the Al-Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, north of Doha on December 14, 2022.
What you need to know:
- Both Messi and Mbappe have scored five goal in Qatar.
Doha, Qatar
How Argentina and France reached the World Cup final in Qatar:
Argentina
Group stage
Argentina 1 (Messi 10-pen) Saudi Arabia 2 (Saleh Al-Shehri 48, Salem Al-Dawsari 53)
Argentina 2 (Messi 64, Fernandez 87) Mexico 0
Poland 0 Argentina 2 (Mac Allister 46, Alvarez 67)
Last 16
Argentina 2 (Messi 35, Alvarez 57) Australia 1 (Fernandez 77-og)
Quarter-final
Netherlands 2 (Weghorst 83, 90+11) Argentina 2 (Molina 35, Messi 73-pen) after extra time
Argentina win 4-3 on penalties
Semi-final
Argentina 3 (Messi 34-pen, Alvarez 39, 69) Croatia 0
Argentina squad
Goalkeepers: Franco Armani (River Plate/ARG), Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa/ENG), Geronimo Rulli (Villarreal/ESP)
Defenders: Marcos Acuna (Sevilla/ESP), Juan Foyth (Villarreal/ESP), Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United/ENG), Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid/ESP), Gonzalo Montiel (Sevilla/ESP), Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica/POR), German Pezzella (Real Betis/ESP), Cristian Romero (Tottenham/ENG), Nicolas Tagliafico (Lyon/FRA)
Midfielders: Thiago Almada (Atlanta/USA), Rodrigo De Paul (Atletico Madrid/ESP), Enzo Fernandez (Benfica/POR), Alejandro Gomez (Sevilla/ESP), Alexis Mac Allister (Brighton/ENG), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen/GER), Leandro Paredes (Juventus/ITA), Guido Rodriguez (Real Betis/ESP)
Forwards: Julian Alvarez (Manchester City/ENG), Angel Correa (Fiorentina/ITA), Angel Di Maria (Juventus/ITA), Paulo Dybala (Roma/ITA), Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan/ITA)
World Cup history
Winners: 2 (1978 and 1986)
Losing finalists: 3 (1930, 1990, 2014)
Leading World Cup goalcorer: Lionel Messi (11)
Leading scorer at Qatar World Cup: Lionel Messi (5)
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France
Group stage
France 4 (Rabiot 27, Giroud 32, 71, Mbappe 68) Australia 1 (Goodwin 9)
France 2 (Mbappe 61, 86) Denmark 1 (Christensen 68)
Tunisia 1 (Khazri 58) France 0
Last 16
France 3 (Giroud 44, Mbappe 74, 90+1) Poland 1 (Lewandowski 90+9-pen)
Quarter-final
England 1 (Kane 54-pen) France 2 (Tchouameni 17, Giroud 78)
Semi-final
France 2 (Hernandez 5, Kolo Muani 79) Morocco 0
France squad
Goalkeepers: Alphonse Areola (West Ham/ENG), Hugo Lloris (Tottenham/ENG), Steve Mandanda (Rennes/FRA)
Defenders: Axel Disasi (Monaco/FRA), Theo Hernandez (AC Milan/ITA), Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool/ENG), Jules Kounde (Barcelona/ESP), Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich/GER), William Saliba (Arsenal/ENG), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich/GER), Raphael Varane (Manchester United/ENG)
Midfielders: Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid/ESP), Youssouf Fofana (Monaco/FRA), Matteo Guendouzi (Marseille/FRA), Adrien Rabiot (Juventus/ITA), Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid/ESP), Jordan Veretout (Marseille/FRA)
Forwards: Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich/GER), Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona/ESP), Olivier Giroud (AC Milan/ITA), Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid/ESP), Randal Kolo Muani (Eintracht Frankfurt/GER), Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Marcus Thuram (Borussia Moenchengladbach/GER)
World Cup history
Winners: 2 (1998, 2018)
Losing finalists: 1 (2006)
Leading World Cup goalcorer: Just Fontaine (13)
Leading scorer at Qatar World Cup: Kylian Mbappe (5)
