Morocco’s dream of history-making remains unfulfilled:
Defending champions France beat history-making Morocco 2-0 after a thrilling semi-final to book their place in Sunday’s final against Argentina.
However, this match was by no means one-sided and despite France taking the lead in the fifth minute, Morocco kept them against the wall throughout the match.
Morocco are the first African and Arab team to reach the semi-finals of any football World Cup, but today they suffered a misfortune before the match even started.
Before the start of the match, Moroccan defender Naif Eguiard was out of the team due to injury, although his name was also on the team sheet.
Not only that, the captain of Morocco, Romain Zays, was also starting the match despite suffering from an injury, but within a few minutes it was clear that he was no longer fit to continue the game and he too had to be replaced immediately. .
Amidst it all, Theo Hernandez gave France the lead with a fine finish in the fifth minute. He became the first player to score against Morocco in the tournament.
Defensively weak and suffering from a one-goal deficit, Morocco did not give up and continued to change their game and try to adopt an aggressive approach.
At the end of the first half, Morocco had a very golden opportunity when Zayesh’s corner kick was headed by Jawad Elmeek, which hit the goalkeeper’s hand and the goal post, but was unable to go into the goal.
It was also difficult for Morocco to adopt a strong offensive style as the threat of Mbappe hovered over their head on the counter-attack and then in the closing moments of the match Mbappe’s excellent run and shot deflected off a defender reached Kolo Mowani. Those who put it in the goal ended the possibility of Morocco returning to the match.
Morocco fans were in large numbers at the ground and the noise was deafening and it seemed like it was a home game for Morocco.
The ground erupted with whistles every time the ball went to a French player, but the French defenders, especially Ibrahima Konate, played well under pressure.
Defending champions France will now face in-form Messi’s Argentina in the final on Sunday and if France win a second consecutive final it will be the first time in 60 years. Earlier, Brazil won two consecutive World Cups in 1958 and 1962.
Manager Deschamps, who captained France to a World Cup win on home soil in 1998, could win the trophy for the second time as a manager on Sunday. The French team will surely be tough to beat but today there were many chances in the game when the goddess of fortune was on France’s side and the Moroccan forwards also failed to convert the chances into goals.
Moroccan Pride Night:
The Moroccan players and coaching staff were given a long standing ovation by their fans after the match. Morocco’s fans have been prominent in this World Cup and have been widely recognized in the global media for their strong support of their team.
Morocco’s performance today was in no way inferior to other matches in the World Cup and despite misfortune and injuries, they proved why they have been such a big surprise in this World Cup.
Morocco’s best center midfielder, Sufyan Amrabat, gave an encouraging performance and showed his full force.
A first-half penalty appeal by Morocco was also ignored when Hernandez brought Sufyan Boufal to the ground.
The reluctance of Morocco’s forwards to shoot the ball also led to missed opportunities and thus France continued to have opportunities to counter attack.
Morocco have finally been beaten by a team in this tournament but their performance throughout the World Cup was certainly historic.
Knocking out big teams like Belgium, Spain and Portugal from the World Cup is certainly a huge achievement and now Morocco has a golden opportunity to improve their team further through this World Cup performance.
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