Morocco vs France

The Moroccans have overcome Spain and Portugal to get here while the French saw off Poland and then England. Our pundits are favoring Didier Deschamps' ...

The Paris Saint-Germain superstar will be up against club teammate Achraf Hakimi on Wednesday and may well get a few chances given how Hakimi likes to get forward which leaves space. Man of the Match pick: Considering his creativity for France of late, Antoine Griezmann is a good shout given that so much flows through him. One matchup to watch: Aurelien Tchouameni scored a stunning opening goal against the Three Lions last Saturday and the Real Madrid man will be needed if France are to win the battle the midfields in Al Khor. The Moroccans have overcome Spain and Portugal to get here while the French saw off Poland and then England. Azzedine Ounahi has also been outstanding for the Moroccans, but Amrabat vs. The Atlas Lions are already the first African and Arab nation to reach their stage while Les Bleus could reach back-to-back finals after their 2018 victory in Russia.

Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at how Morocco could line up for Wednesday's World Cup 2022 semi-final with France.

[Hakim Ziyech](/people/hakim-ziyech/) was the victim of some rough treatment against Portugal but should be fine to take his place in the attack alongside [Sofiane Boufal](/people/sofiane-boufal/) and [Youssef En-Nesyri](/people/youssef-en-nesyri/), whose deputy [Walid Cheddira](/people/walid-cheddira/) is suspended after being sent off for two bookable offences at the weekend. [Nayef Aguerd](/people/nayef-aguerd/) back from the adductor injury that kept him out of the quarter-final, and the West Ham United man could partner [Jawad El Yamiq](/people/jawad-el-yamiq/), who performed admirably in his absence at the weekend. [Achraf Hakimi](/people/achraf-hakimi/) ought to be fit to start at right-back despite missing a training session prior to the win over Portugal, where he was able to complete the full 90 minutes.

Reigning World Cup champs France square off with surprise package Morocco in a mouthwatering World Cup semifinal in Qatar.

[they’ve beaten Spain and Portugal in the knockout rounds](https://soccer.nbcsports.com/2022/12/11/morocco-vs-portugal-video-highlights-recap-reaction/), showcasing incredible grit, energy and quality as they are the total team unit. As for Morocco, their goalkeeper Yassine Bounou has been exceptional, so too has captain Romain Saiss (who is nursing a hamstring injury) while Achraf Hakimi, Sofiane Boufal and Hakim Ziyech give them real quality in wide areas. The only issue is that France has yet to keep a clean sheet and they do look vulnerable on the counter. They have made history as the first-ever African side to reach the final four and Kylian Mbappe, Olivier Giroud, Ousmane Dembele and Antoine Griezmann are all stepping up at different moments and the French are gathering momentum. [squeaked past England in the quarterfinals](https://soccer.nbcsports.com/2022/12/11/england-vs-france-recap-final-score-video-highlights-harry-kane-penalty-video-goals/), as Les Bleus have looked shaky defensively but have so much quality in attack.

Morocco face the biggest test in their fairy-tale World Cup run when they take on holders France in the semifinals. Didier Deschamps' side battled to a 2-1 ...

Bono (GK) — 2. (4-3-3): 1. Lloris (GK) — 5. Marseille (FRA) Monaco (FRA) Here are the names on the Argentina and Croatia World Cup squads in Qatar. Expect to see a familiar lineup once again against Morocco. Mbappe — 9. Rabiot — 11. Hernandez — 8. "Everyone is ready to play; it doesn't matter if they play for a while, or if they come in every game. Having also accounted for Spain and Belgium at this tournament, can they spring their biggest upset yet and claim the scalp of another heavyweight European side?

France defender Raphael Varane says the title holders will not 'fall into the trap' of overconfidence in Morocco match.

“Is the phone ringing? [They also beat Belgium](/sports/2022/11/27/morocco-30) and [drew with Croatia](/sports/liveblog/2022/11/23/live-morocco-vs-croatia-world-cup-2022) during the group phase and have conceded just a single goal, from an own goal, in their five matches so far in the tournament. Enrique was sacked by Spain after the Morocco defeat. “I was surprised by [Ounahi]. I was very surprised. “We have enough experience in the team to not fall into that trap,” Varane, one of the survivors of France’s victorious 2018 World Cup campaign, said when asked about overconfidence ahead of the Morocco match.

A number of football legends made bold World Cup predictions before the tournament began… that seemingly backfired.Cafu, Samuel Eto'o and Tim Cahi.

On that side of the draw, Croatia will face Argentina to meet either France or Morocco in the World Cup final. Eto’o also correctly predicted that Morocco would beat Spain in the last-16 and then Portugal in the quarter-final. While the Three Lions did their bit to get to the knockout rounds, Qatar failed miserably and were officially the worst host nation in World Cup history.

France and Morocco face off in the second semi final in Qatar. France beat England 2-1 in a tight game to reach this stage, whereas Morocco stunned Portugal ...

FIFA has appointed Mexican referee Cesar Ramos to take charge of the Morocco-France semi-finals game, which will take place on Wednesday.

France, the winner of the latest World Cup in Russia in 2018, has never lost a game against Morocco. Morocco’s team has been making international headlines since its historic qualification to the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup. Football commentators around the world have hailed the Moroccan team for its defensive solidity. Every contribution, however big or small, is valuable for our mission and readers. The referee already officiated one of Morocco’s stage group matches in the 2022 World Cup. Ramos, who has been a FIFA referee since 2014, has already officiated Morocco’s match against Belgium during the group stage of the ongoing World Cup in Qatar.

Morocco and France will be poised to overcome the final World Cup barrier when they face off on Wednesday night at Al Bayt Stadium.

France are on the edge of setting a record if they reach the finals, and the country will aim to defend the [World Cup](https://khelnow.com/football/category/2022-fifa-world-cup) with players at the prime of their careers. We cannot dismiss a squad that defeated Spain and Portugal; France will learn from it. Mazraoui, the Bayern Munich fullback, is suffering from illness and discomfort but will be ready for the Wednesday match. For Morocco, Ziyech has evolved into a different player, with a superb game setup and being the major emphasis alongside Hakimi. Griezmann may not have scored in this World Cup, but he has been a critical player in keeping the game running fluently. This Morocco team has been relentless throughout the tournament, upsetting Belgium, Spain, and Portugal; they now play France, and they are one step closer to making history.

With usual favourites Brazil and Germany out — and despite tensions — many Lebanese are backing the Atlas Lions.

It led to an altercation between them and the neighbourhood’s residents and prompted an intervention by the Lebanese Army. Pia, a half-French half-Lebanese resident of the neighbourhood, told The National that, while she was a staunch France supporter, she was torn about who she wanted to win. “Now I’m with Argentina, because they’re my second-favourite team. Critics said the procession was a provocation, calling for the neighbourhood to increase self-policing measures and threatening to retaliate. [World Cup](https://www.thenationalnews.com/fifa-world-cup-2022/) support in Lebanon is traditionally reserved for two of the globe's strongest teams — five-time winners [Brazil](https://www.thenationalnews.com/fifa-world-cup-2022/2022/12/12/brazil-lose-a-dark-day-in-dahiyeh/) and four-time champions Germany. A subset of Lebanese fans support France — the former colonial power that has traditional links to the Christian community.

Holders France take on first-time semi-finalists Morocco for a place in the final.

"But I will try my best to be on the pitch. I don't know if it will be enough but we want Africa to be on top of the world. The two sides have played each other 11 times before, with Morocco winning on one occasion and France winning seven times. I hope it will be OK." Head coach Deschamps said after the England match: "We are getting to the semi-finals. They also won on their own turf in 1998. "We are hungry. The last-16 clash saw Morocco celebrate a historic World Cup win over Spain. The best team, Brazil, is already knocked out. We want to go further. Kylian Mbappe has terrorised defences, scoring five goals so far in the tournament, and he leads the Theirs is the second of the semi-finals, taking place on Wednesday December 14, at Al Bayt Stadium.

If Morocco can shackle France's Kylian Mbappe, it will be half the battle won. Advertisement. AFTER THE sweaty victory against England, the French ...

A big part of it would be to contain Mbappe, make him settle for bad numbers (by his standards) as he had against England and hope he heaves the ball into the distance rather than to the back of the net. Their prime focus was not on Kovacic and Modric, but Brozovic, to prevent him from enjoying too many touches in the midfield, to deny him the opportunity to carry the ball upfield. The first line of defence started with Youssef En-Nesyri, behind him were Azzedine Ounahi and Selim Amallah, tightly holding onto Modric and Kovacic. Almost all of the front five could play-make as well as score; even the defensive midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni could; so could Theo Hernandez, and Rafael Varane. The latter has clocked 35 kmph, the former 35.3 kmph, and together form the fastest pair in this World Cup. Then, as they strolled back to the tunnel, a football bounced onto the turf and fell in the path of Kylian Mbappe. They constricted the hat-trick hero Goncalo Ramos, the most direct of goal-scoring threats, like a python would its prey. There are multiple layers that make the game intriguing and fascinating. Among the four survivors, France has scored the most number of goals (11). Even the usually deadpan-faced Deschamps broke into peals of laughter. The numbers were put forth to manager Didier Deschamps. But so wayward was the strike that it blew somewhere into the distant stands.

France and Morocco meet in the second semifinal of the 2022 World Cup on Dec. 14. Here's what you need to know about the match.

Winning the 2018 World Cup made him the third man to win the World Cup as both a player and a manager. He has taken Morocco further than anyone imagined at this World Cup and thinks the team can still give more. It has averaged 32% possession in its five World Cup matches, the second-lowest of any team. This strategy has worked due to its near-impenetrable defense and the ability to counter-attack at pace with the dribbling skills of wingers Hakim Ziyech and Sofiane Boufal. It was effective against England and a similar approach worked at the World Cup in Russia four years ago. It showed this against England, which had 58% possession and twice as many shots as the World Cup holder. Changing the players has not changed the script – Morocco’s defense is very hard to break. The defense has also had to adapt. For a confidence boost, Hakimi should look no further than Mbappé, who described the Moroccan as the “best RB (right-back) in the world” in a January [tweet](https://twitter.com/KMbappe/status/1486074687838949379). Reigning champion France is aiming to become the first country to win back-to-back men’s World Cups since Brazil in 1958 and 1962. It is the outsider for this match but remains unbeaten, having secured against-the-odds wins over Spain and Portugal in the knockout stage. [keeping Mbappé quiet in the quarterfinal](https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertkidd/2022/12/09/world-cup-2022-quarter-final-stop-kylian-mbapp-and-england-has-hope-against-france/), with France relying on goals from Aurélien Tchouaméni and Olivier Giroud for the 2-1 victory.

Ahead of their World Cup semi-final clash, Middle East Eye takes a look at French-Moroccan relations from past to present.

[Western Sahara](https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/western-sahara). In fact, Morocco is the leading destination for French investment in Africa. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this Amazigh tribesemen later laid siege to the city, and were defeated in a crackdown that caused a further 600 to be killed. In the early 1930s they protested against a decree issued by the sultan which would subject Amazigh communities to customary, rather than Islamic, law. The Battle of El Herri was a notable early victory for the Zaians, led by Mouha ou Hammou Zayani, with over 600 French-aligned troops killed. It was only after a decisive defeat to Frankish forces at the Battle of Tours in 732 that the Muslims were pushed back. [Read More »](/morocco-portugal-world-cup-turbulent-history-conquest-kings) The latter’s huge public debt was also seen as a Kaiser Wilhelm II arrived in Tangier and declared his support for an independent Morocco. They raided eastern France too, invading Lyon and Autun. [Morocco](https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/morocco)'s fairytale run to the semi-finals of the [World Cup](https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/qatar-world-cup-2022) has surprised and electrified audiences from Rabat to Reykjavik.