France beat Belgium 1-0 in St. Petersburg on Wednesday morning to reach the World Cup final, where they will face either Croatia or England on Monday (AEST). The only goal of the game was scored by defender Samuel Umtiti.

“I agree with (Belgium head coach) Roberto Martinez, set pieces defined the outcome of the game. His team are very strong, they are all very tall," Deschamps said.

"Belgium controlled the ball better than us, it was hard to read their moves, but we found their flaws and used them. The idea was to not give the opponent any space."

Deschamps also praised midfielder Paul Pogba, saying that he was “very effective in both attack and defence,” taking up “all of the attention” of Belgium midfielder Marouane Fellaini and “leaving him less time to control the ball.”

Pic Special: Umtiti heads France into World Cup Final

France v Belgium player ratings

The 2018 FIFA World Cup kicked off on June 14 and will continue until July 15, with the final set to be played at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium.

 

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