DOHA, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- France lead their World Cup semifinal 1-0 against Morocco at halftime following a thrilling 45 minutes of football.
Theo Hernandez put France ahead in the fifth minute with a smart volley from a tight angle after great work from Antoine Griezmann.
Olivier Giroud hit the outside of the post in the 15th minute after the Moroccan defense misjudged a long ball out of defense, before Morocco were forced to replace Romain Saiss with Selim Amallah after the defender suffered an injury relapse.
Kylian Mbappe missed a chance when set clear by Aurelien Tchouameni and Giroud scooped the rebound just wide in the 35th minute.
On the stroke of half-time Jawad El Yamiq went close to scoring one of the goals of the tournament following a corner, only for his overhead kick to bounce back off the post with Hugo Lloris beaten. ■
