Desk news: Theo Hernandez’s goal against Morocco on Wednesday set France on their way to a second successive World Cup final. But it could have been very different if his brother had not been injured minutes into the tournament.
Lucas Hernandez tore an anterior cruciate ligament in France’s opening 4-1 victory over Australia, ruling the Bayern Munich defender out for several months.
The injury blow came days after Les Bleus lost Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema to a thigh problem, with France coach Didier Deschamps already deprived of first-choice midfielders Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante.
But it could have been a blessing in disguise of sorts for Deschamps, who ditched his experiment with a three-man defence and reverted to a 4-3-3 formation just before the World Cup in Qatar.
