xG World Cup review: Day 25 scorelines according to expected goals

By Tom Carnduff

Football

Thu December 15, 2022 · 2y ago

We deliver the xG (expected goals) scoreline, a 'fairness' rating and noteworthy data points from the first semi-final between France and Morocco.

Day 24 xG Verdict: More Messi magic

What are Infogol fairness ratings?

We rank every scoreline by comparing it against the range of possible scorelines that could have arisen based on the quantity and quality of chances created. The higher this ranks on a scale of 0-100 the closer it reflects the balance of chances created or the 'fairer' the scoreline is.

France 2-0 Morocco

Infogol xG: 2.23 - 1.02
Fairness rating: 80.75
Scorers: T. Hernandez 5', Kolo Muani 79'

France made it back-to-back appearances in a World Cup final after the 2018 champions beat Morocco 2-0.

Theo Hernandez's early strike, coupled with Randal Kolo Muani's close range tap-in mere seconds after being introduced as a late sub, secured their spot to face Argentina on Sunday.

While they struggled to consistently get shots away to trouble Hugo Lloris, Morocco did make it uncomfortable for France through large parts of the second-half.

• Africa's first ever World Cup semi-finalists
• Clean sheets in four of their games
• Wins over Belgium, Portugal and Spain

🇲🇦 Walid Regragui's Morocco are out, but they've enjoyed a tournament they'll never forget 👏#MAR | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/RzoseDRb7t
— Sporting Life Football & Infogol (@InfogolApp) December 14, 2022

It could have been a much easier win for Les Bleus though had Olivier Giroud converted one of the two good chances he saw before the break - one of which struck the post and the other going inches wide.

For the second game in a row, France had less possession than their opponents, with Morocco seeing 61% of the ball - much higher than their other contests at the tournament.

A big positive for France heading into the final was that this was their first clean sheet of the World Cup, and they had limited Morocco to just 0.49 xG going into second-half added time.