World Cup 2018 Live Updates: France beat Belgium 1-0 to advance to the final

Just an additional information…. Riyad Mahrez has completed his move to Manchester City.. from Leicester

If you are reading this…

France through were cagey but still go through as they will face either England or Croatia in the final on Sunday.

Belgium’s golden generation once again disappointed but they would still go home with their heads held high… It was Roberto Martinez’s first defeat as a Belgium coach.

France win 1-0

Belgium are knocked out…. France are through to the finals… 

95: Courtois saves again. Tolisso shoots and Courtois puts up a finger-tip save.

94: Belgium attack through Hazard but Kante clears… Then Vetonghen pushes down Mbappe and is booked.

Chadli off for Batshuayi 

90: Chadli fouls Pogba and France have a free-kick

KBD swings in but Nzonzi clears.. KBD floats the ball again and Lukaku fails to connect

87: Kante received a booking for shoving down Hazard.. Belgium has a free-living just outside the French box

86: Matuidi clashes again with Hazard and has to he taken off for Tolisso

84: First substitution for France Giroud off, Nzonzi on

83: Witsel with a powerful shot but Lloris clears, mahatva chance and what a shot that was

The referee missed a clear foul on Hazard a minute earlier…

80: A second substitution for Belgium Yannick Carrasco on for Fellaini

78: Fellaini pulls down Mbappe and Pogba heads above the bar

76: Hazard plays a lovely ball to De Bruyne who shot is way above the bar.

75: Witsel fouls Griezmann and France have a free-living inside their own half.

Belgium are looking for more spaces but none are available at the moment… France defending deep

71: Yellow for Alderweireld for a challenge on Matuidi

68: Mbappe runs past the entire Belgian defence, lays the ball to Griezmann, who finds Giroud. But he latter’s shot is into the stands…

66: Fellaini nearly scores…Mertens’ cross is met by him, but his header is just wide.

63: Yellow card for Eden Hazard

De Bruyne missed…Lukaku finds Mertens whose cross is only half-cleared by Varane, the ball fall to De Bruyne but he miscues his shot..

59: Dembele goes for Dries Mertens

First substitution for Belgium

55: Mbappe and Pogba play a lovely one-two before the former plays it to Matuidi who shot is blocked.The ball falls to Mbappe who flicks it into the box in an outrageous manner for Giroud. Giroud is one on one with Courtois but the latter saves.

Just his 3rd goal for France but the most important one

51: Giroud makes a lovely turn to win a corner off Kompany… Umtiti rises the highest from the corner beats the giant Fellaini and scores

Goal for France!!!!

48: Du Bruyne and Chadli plays a neat one two before the latter’s cross for Fellaini is cleared by Pogba

Mbappe tries to run last his opponents but Vertonghen and Dembele stops him twice.

46: De Bruyne sends Matuidi home with his movement with the ball but Hernandez clears

The second-half is about to begin…

It was an intriguing first-half… Both teams came close to scoring once but both the keepers were brilliant once again… Goalless at half-time

End of the half…

45: De Bruyne floats in a lovely cross and Umtiti miscues it but Lukaku is late to react and the ball hote him before going out of play…

1 minute added on!!

43: Dembele clutches into Pogba from behind and the referral points to a free-kick.. Griezmann takes it and hits the wall then sents the ball out of play…

Interesting fact: Olivier Giroud has now played 7 hours of football at the 2018 World Cup without scoring…

40: Griezmann finds Pavard just outside the Belgian box but his shot is saved by Courtois’ legs and France have another corner…. Again nothing comes out of it…

France nearly score….

37: Griezmann once again break for France but bis indecision let’s him down. He had plenty of options to pass to but shoots

France are slowly getting back and more importantly Belgium’s defence look shaky…

33: A lovely long ball from Pogba finds Mbappe, who lays the ball for Giroud but the Chelsea striker once again fails to shoot..

30: Vertonghen pushes Mbappe off the ball and is warned by the referee… France have a free-kick and Pavard puts the ball into the box which Giroud connects but it is wide off target

27: Belgium wins the ball bsck and Hazard finds De Bruyne whose lovely low cross is cleared by Umtiti..Before it can reach Lukaku

21: France fails to clear a corner and the balls falls to De Bruyne.. waise near-perfect shot is brilliantly saver by Lloris…

What a save by Hugo Lloris  … Oh god

17: Hazard again… He cuts in from the left and fires a shot that is however deflected off Varane’s head. The corner by Chadli is useless..

16: Ohh Hazard!!! De Bruyne finds Hazard this time but is shot is narrowly wide of target

15: Belgium break through but de Bruyne fails to read Lukaku’s decoy run and France clear.

13: Pogba’s threaded pass sends Mbappe run clear on goal but Courtois comes first and collects it

09: Pavard wins the ball back but his pass is interrupted by Witsel

Belgium are keeping the ball and France ate only chasing lost shadows..

3: Witsel finds De Bruyne, whosbeball into the box is attacked by none. But Fellaini chases it down and keep the attack going. Chadli sends it again into the box but is cleared.

1: ohh Kylian Mbappe has started running in the opening minute itself… runs past two defenders but Kompany clears.

The match has begun…

Antoine Griezmann has scored 7 goals in six matches for France. Romelu Lukaku has scored 17 goals and has 6 assists in 13 matches for Belgium…

France have gone with the usual 4-2-3-1 formation.

Belgium with 3-5-2

Both the teams are out for the National Anthems…

This is Belgium’s only Second appearance in the World Cup semi-finals. They lost to eventual winners in 1986.

Just two changes for both the teams. Moussa Dembele replaced the suspended Thomas Meunier for Belgium, while Blaise Matuidi who is back from suspension replaced Corentin Tolisso in the France playing XI.

The line-ups have been announced…. 

Hello and welcome to the live coverage of the World Cup semi-final match against Belgium and France.