The World Cup is notoriously brutal. But in the end, there is still a profound sense of anti-climax. While Lady Luck smiled on France, fortune did not favor Morocco.

Walid Regragui's heroic side, the first ever African team to reach the semifinals of the showpiece event, could have been forgiven for thinking that fate was conspiring against them.

In what proved to be a double whammy, Morocco lost defensive stalwart Nayef Aguerd to a sudden injury after he was named in the starting line-up. Another blow then came after just 21 minutes when their ever-dependable center-back and captain Roman Saiss also limped off due to injury. They also had a penalty appeal waved away by the Mexican referee Cesar Ramos after Theo Hernandez, who gave France an early lead with an acrobatic volley, carelessly knocked over Sofiane Boufal in the box.

It was rational to assume that Morocco would buckle under a series of unfortunate events, but the Atlas Lions, who defied odds to edge out prestigious European powerhouses Belgium, Spain and Portugal in such a sensational fashion, refused to bite the dust without a fight.

Inspired by the rousing roars of tens of thousands of red-clad Moroccan supporters at the Al Bayt Stadium, Morocco pressed forward with scintillating pace and aggression. Regragui's players enjoyed the lion's share of possession and even when they lost possession, Fiorentina star Sofyan Amrabat, who stood out in the high-octane midfield battle, repeatedly won the ball back.

Contrary to what was expected before the tie, the star-studded France, watched by their President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday night, had to repel wave after wave of Moroccan attacks after breaking the deadlock in five minutes, with Ibrahima Konate at the center of almost every defensive block and interception.

French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, who has become the most capped player in France history with 144 appearances, was required to produce several superb saves to protect their lead. Defender El Yamiq nearly scored the goal of the tournament but his astonishing overhead kick was incredibly tipped onto the post by none other than Lloris.

Morocco were so close to an equalizer but were constantly let down by the wayward finishing of their misfiring strikers. Yahia Allah and Abderrazak Hamdallah were gifted with glorious chances to restore parity, but both efforts were kept away by overworked French defenders.

That's when Kylian Mbappe, who had a below-par display by his lofty standards for 75 minutes, stepped up to the plate.

The Paris Saint-Germain superstar took advantage of Morocco's high line and instigated a thrilling attack on the break that saw him twist and turn in the area before finding the room to unleash a fierce shot. His effort was ultimately deflected right into the path of substitute Kolo Muani, who tapped home with his first touch of the game to crush Morocco's World Cup dream.

"We gave our all, that's the most important thing. The boys fought until the last minute," said a disconsolate Regragui, who felt helpless after witnessing his brave team disintegrate as France were happy to sit back and bide their time until scoring chances opened up. 

"If I have any regrets about this game, it would be mainly conceding that goal quickly. It gave the French team even more certainty to stick with their approach," the Morocco coach added. "We wanted to get a goal and give them some doubts. But with their attacking talents, we knew we could be punished at any moment and that's what happened with the second goal.

"We could have scored, but unfortunately a goal didn't come. May the Moroccans forgive us. We wanted to go to the final but... next time, God willing. To reach the very, very highest level, to win a World Cup, we still have to work but we are not very far away." he added.

While Morocco rued the missed opportunity, France stayed on course to become the first team since Brazil 60 years ago to retain the World Cup as they face a final showdown with Lionel Messi's Argentina.

"Instead of celebrating getting to the final, we're keeping our feet on the ground. We're focused on recovering well and preparing for the game," said Antoine Griezmann, who was involved in every French counter-attack during the tie and became the first French player to create 20 chances at a single World Cup in 24 years.

"Any team with Messi is a totally different proposition," warned the Atletico Madrid playmaker. "It isn't only Messi. They have a strong side around him. We know it's going to be a tough game and they're going to have a lot of supporters with them."

Will Didier Deschamps' France still stick to their functional tactics to sit deep in their own half and hunt for turnovers in the face of arguably the best attacking genius in the world? Messi and co. will have ample time to find the answer on Sunday.