Constant enthusiasm in a seething temple was not enough. Nor with the enviable bravery of an already iconic selection, pop culture of universal football, this Morocco of the World Cup in Qatar, which was clear at all times that France could take everything from it except pride.
And so it was, but what pride he exhibited, never sticking his knee to the ground, always rebellious until the moment when the outcome was already inevitable, with 2-0 and the final whistle. Deschamps’ team will fight with Argentina to revalidate the title of world champion and Morocco will remain in the arcana of this sport for decades. Both won on Wednesday night at the Al Bayt Stadium, although in the short term only France will be able to feel it.
Reliable regularity
The Lusail final will launch on Sunday (4:00 p.m.) a duel between two champions, France against Argentina, Mbappé against Messi, tomorrow against yesterday to determine who is in charge today. The reigning champion arrives at the last season with the recipe for the entire championship, winning all the meetings without appearing to be sufficient in any of them.
Faced with a cyclothymic Argentina at times, the reliable regularity works. And the merit of Morocco (who will fight on Saturday, 16:00 with Croatia to finish third) was mainly in this, being able to discuss the best virtue of a rival, hand in hand, undoubtedly superior.
The beats of La Marsellesa were accompanied by some whistles, a minority in any case, a prelude to the sonorous Moroccan festival during their own anthem and throughout the match. The Al Bayt stadium oozed blood, red its stands filled with hearts in continuous systole, red like the Arab looms that adorn the ceilings of the stands in the Temple of Jor.
An extensive strip of the planet, always despised by football and, in general, by a West that looks over its shoulder, represented in this Morocco that had already shaken one of the old metropolises and was looking to do the same with the other .
Capital Griezmann
But France is not Spain, at least not in this World Cup. Where one whispered sweetly, the other bit stubbornly. It only took Deschamps’ players five minutes and a minimal gasp to reveal their frenzy heading into their final meeting with Argentina. Yamiq, a centre-back for whom Valladolid paid 250,000 euros, lost his attention to Griezmann, a striker turned into the best midfielder in the World Cup for whom Barça paid 135 million euros, and everything was rushed.
Giroud ended up collecting the ball, but his shot veered off course after hitting a Moroccan defender. Theo Hernández then felt the presence of the ball near him and resolved the uncertainty with a scissor that drove directly into Morocco’s chest. It was the first time in the entire World Cup that he received a goal from his opponent, since the only one conceded until then, against Canada, was scored yesterday by the injured Aguerd in his own goal.
red rebellion
Regragui’s selection responded well and quickly with a long-range shot by Ounahi repelled by Lloris, but soon entered a crisis, tied hands by the superior strength of a France that wasted the opportunity to nail the lunge at the opponent. Giroud, twice: in the first he rubbed the post and in the second, after a previous attempt by Mbappé, he missed.
Morocco ended up regrouping as the first half expired, after Regragui took advantage of the injury to his captain Saiss to break the line of five defenders with which he had decided to challenge the champions. He threatened through the set piece in the approach to the break, leaving as a milestone a Chilean plastic that El Yamiq stamped on the post.
Empowered, Morocco hit the spot after the interval, raising the fever in a suddenly racing France. Tachycardia was stopped by Konaté, saving a lethal shot from En-Nesyri in the small area. It was commendable to observe the African selection offering a one-on-one in France, challenged at many times.
Cruel injuries
But when the time came, 11 minutes from the end, the utopia faded. And it only happened as it did, in a cruel way, the result of an accident. A shot from Mbappé that went nowhere bounced off Abde’s foot and the ball fell straight to Kolo Muani, who delightedly pounced on what must have been his first contact with the ball all match.
