Even though the Atlas Lions have left no stone unturned to stun the world, there’s still an even more crucial test of their mettle when they will face the defending champions, France, in the 2nd Semi-Final on Wednesday at the Al Bayt Stadium.
The Moroccan side has made their pioneer entry into the Semis after defeating Portugal by 1-0, while the reigning champions, France, dumped England in the quarters by 2-1 to keep their hopes alive to uplifting the World’s Most Prestigious Football Trophy for the second time in a row.
The English team lost all fortune cards after Harry Kane missed a penalty, preventing the side from entering the Semi-Finals. Meanwhile, Olivier Giroud and Aurelien Tchouameni haven’t taken any risks and posted measured netted shots.
Perhaps, Football Gods had also witnessed an element of Bad Luck for the English side when Marcus Rashford accelerated free-kick landed on the roof of the net. In short, the French team certainly did a few better things that assisted them in reaching consecutive semifinals.
It is pertinent to mention that the Les Blues is the first European team managed to reach the Semi-Finals as defending champions in the last 84 runs, while it has been their fourth appearance in the semis throughout their playing history.
In contrast, the African Nation Morocco has stunned the entire world after gaining the title of the first-ever African country to reach the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup. However, they haven’t won against France during the last five meetings.
Despite being forced to play without Noussair Mazraoui and Nayef Aguerd against Portugal, the Moroccan team performed admirably, fending off formidable competition until the Youssef En-Nesyri header ultimately proved to be sufficient for them.
In the spotlight, France was an inhabitant in group D alongside Australia, Tunisia, and Denmark. Of course, their quality performances helped them quit the group on top with six points. During the event’s campaign, the French side defeated Australia in the opening match by 4-1, followed by a victory over Denmark by 2-1, and then beaten in the last group-stage clash against Tunisia by `1-0. In the knockouts, the defending team outshined Poland by 3-1.
The Atlas Lions were in group F alongside Belgium, Croatia, and Canada. Indeed, the African Nation was surrounded by behemoths of Football, yet they did a fantastic job of keeping the opponents from scoring or defeating them.
Morocco summit the group with 7 points while starting their tournament journey by playing runner-ups of last edition Croatia and finished with a goalless draw. In the 2nd match, they defeated Belgium by 2-0, followed by another popular victory over Canada by 2-1. In the knockouts, the African side outshined Spain on Penalty Shots and then dumped Portugal in the quarters by 1-0.
France possible starting lineup:
Lloris; Kounde, Varane, Upamecano, T. Hernandez; Tchouameni, Rabiot; Dembele, Griezmann, Mbappe; Giroud
Morocco possible starting lineup:
Bono; Hakimi, El Yamiq, Aguerd, Mazraoui; Ounahi, Amrabat, Amallah; Ziyech, En-Nesyri, Boufal
