The dream of the second consecutive crown for Kylian Mbappé’s France, a feat not recorded since the time of Pelé, will have a highly demanding test today in the semifinals against Morocco, the revelation of the World Cup and who plays at home in Qatar.
Specialists in reversing a priori complicated situations, including Karim Benzema’s Ballon d’Or injury, Didier Deschamps’ ‘Bleus’ face some ‘Atlas Lions’ who on Arab soil have known how to become professional in the art of knocking down giants.
Although they freely profess their admiration for an impenetrable defensive team and deadly counterattack, which they will face at Al Kohr’s Al Bayt Stadium (2:00 pm), the French prefer to focus on not missing out on a historic opportunity.
By lifting the trophy on Sunday at the Lusail stadium, France will become the first team to win soccer’s top trophy for the second time in a row since the Brazil of Pelé, Mario Lobo Zagallo and Garrincha (1958 and 1962).
“The more we advance in the competition, the closer we get to something strong and big, we all want to continue the adventure as far as possible. This requires extreme concentration,” said the ‘Galic’ captain, the goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
high risk opponent
To “continue the adventure”, in which they have already broken the ‘champion’s curse’ and survived a rain of injuries, they must find the way to penetrate a steel defense: the Moroccan, the least vulnerable in the World Cup with just a little conceded in five games.
For this task they have the goalscorer and the second highest scorer in the tournament, Mbappé (5 goals) and Olivier Giroud (4), as well as Antoine Griezmann (3 assists) at a great moment and an always unpredictable Ousmane Dembélé (2 assists).
But melting the bolt guarded by goalkeeper Yassine Bounou is only part of the job. No team reaches the semifinals simply by keeping a clean sheet, and Morocco, the first African in this instance in a World Cup, knows how to whip.
The France-Morocco game also has flavors beyond the playing field: the influence of the French State in the Maghreb, before independence in 1956, traced ties of domination and friendship that make this match very symbolic for the thousands of Moroccans who live on French territory.
A force recharged
Al Bayt is expected to be a cauldron of supporters of Morocco, a team that has become a reference in Africa and with many followers in the first World Cup organized in the Arab world.
The atmosphere in favor will be vital to inject energy into a team that along the way has been diminished by injuries and difficulties to rotate a roster demanded to the maximum, with an extension on their backs since the round of 16 (Spain).
The right-back Achraf Hakimi has played with physical problems since the start of the competition, and the center-back pair, formed by Nayef Aguerd and Romain Saïss, is a doubt for the semifinals, although the coach Walid Regragui reassured this Tuesday by saying that the eleven He is “recovered and without casualties” for this afternoon’s engagement.
Datasheet:
Estadio: Al Bayt Stadium – Jor (Qatar).
Capacity: 68,895 spectators.
Referee: César Ramos (Mexico).
Possible formations:
France: Lloris; Kound, Varane, Upamecano, Theo Hernandez; Tchouameni, Rabiot; Denbele, Griezmann, Mbappe; Giroud.
DT: Didier Deschamps.
Marruecos: Bono; Hakimi, El Yamiq, Saïss, Attiyat Allah; Amrabat, Ounahi, Amallah; Ziyech, En-Nesyri, Boufal.
DT: Walid Regragui.
Background: France and Morocco have met five times, although none of them have been in official competition. The balance is three French wins, a draw and an African victory on penalties.
