France’s World Cup campaign has already tested their firepower, patience and nerve, but Thursday’s quarterfinal against Morocco will offer Didier Deschamps’ side something different: their first full football examination of the tournament.
The match is a repeat of the 2022 World Cup semifinal, when France ended Morocco’s historic run in Qatar, but this time the North Africans arrive not as surprise outsiders but as a confident, gifted side who have been open about their ambition to win the tournament.
France reached the last eight with a 1-0 win over Paraguay, a match that demanded character and patience more than fluency. Paraguay defended deep, slowed the rhythm and forced France to find a way through a packed defensive structure.
Deschamps’ team did enough, with Kylian Mbappe scoring his seventh goal at this World Cup, but the performance also underlined that the knockout stage is beginning to ask harder questions of a side whose attacking talent has carried them through much of the tournament.
Morocco will pose a different challenge. Mohamed Ouahbi’s side have shown they can absorb pressure, dominate possession when required and punish opponents with speed and precision.
The quarterfinal should offer the clearest indication yet of whether France’s attacking quartet can continue to bend the tournament to their will
Their 3-0 victory over Canada in the last 16 confirmed the impression of a team growing in confidence after coming through the group stage unbeaten.
Morocco had already demonstrated their quality in a demanding group, collecting seven points from matches against Brazil, Scotland and Haiti. Their performances have reinforced their belief that they are genuine title contenders rather than a side seeking to recreate the emotion of 2022.
France, by contrast, have yet to face a side with Morocco’s blend of technical quality, athleticism and self-belief. Sweden were brushed aside in the last 32, while Paraguay provided resistance without posing the same attacking threat Morocco are likely to bring.
The quarterfinal should offer the clearest indication yet of whether France’s attacking quartet can continue to bend the tournament to their will against opponents capable of hurting them in transition and testing their defensive balance.
France are expected to be without midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni because of a muscle injury, while Morocco are likely to miss key striker Ismael Saibari.
Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise and Bradley Barcola have given France one of the most dangerous forward lines at the World Cup, but Morocco’s organisation and confidence should provide a more complete measure of the team behind the big names.
Reuters
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