France, Mbappe play Morocco in FIFA World Cup quarterfinal: What we know

France volition look Morocco successful the World Cup quarterfinals astatine Foxborough Stadium, extracurricular Boston successful the US, connected Thursday successful a rematch of the 2022 World Cup semifinal won by Les Bleus.

France person been this tournament’s finest squad truthful far, playing immoderate scintillating shot connected their mode to reaching the past 16 – though they required a Kylian Mbappe punishment to interruption down a stubborn Paraguay broadside and eke retired a 1-0 win successful the 2nd knockout phase.

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The Atlas Lions were awesome arsenic they bossed Canada to triumph 3-0 successful the circular of 16, and they strolled done their radical with a gully against Brazil and comfy wins implicit Haiti and Scotland.

It makes for an intriguing quarterfinal. Al Jazeera looks astatine the cardinal talking points up of the clash.

Loaded past betwixt France and Morocco

France ended Morocco’s fairytale tally astatine Qatar 2022 by beating them 2-0 successful the semifinals, earlier they went connected to suffer successful the last against Argentina.

Four years on, France are inactive the steadfast favourites to prevail, but present Morocco are besides considered genuine World Cup contenders arsenic the Atlas Lions person firmly established themselves arsenic a unit successful satellite football.

“We’re nary longer a astonishment today, and that’s a large root of pride,” Morocco’s manager Mohamed Ouahbi said aft his broadside bushed Canada 3-0 successful the past 16.

“I deliberation this is lone the beginning, and I anticipation we’ll support producing this benignant of tally for galore years.”

Ouahbi insists that revenge against France is not Morocco’s main motivation.

“We privation to spell arsenic acold arsenic imaginable and marque our radical proud,” helium said.

But the Atlas Lions would surely instrumentality an other thrill successful dispatching the French broadside aft the 2022 defeat, arsenic good arsenic successful defeating their erstwhile colonisers.

The 2 countries stock an often fraught history arsenic Morocco was a French colony for respective decades successful the 20th century, and France has a much than 700,000-strong colonisation of Moroccan origin.

Morocco’s caput manager Mohamed Ouahbi is trying to marque past by starring an African squad to a World Cup trophy for the archetypal clip [Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP]

Stopping Mbappe volition beryllium difficult

France person an embarrassment of riches up front: Kylian Mbappe has already scored 7 goals astatine the 2026 World Cup and is joint-top of the Golden Boot array alongside Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland.

Les Bleus besides boast the reigning Ballon d’Or victor Ousmane Dembele, who scored a hat-trick against Norway successful the radical stages, arsenic good arsenic respective different world-class attacking talents.

But Morocco are a compact and disciplined broadside that volition fancy their chances of stymying France’s onslaught – particularly arsenic Paraguay managed to frustrate the French truthful successfully.

The African federation tin trust connected the likes of goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, who seems to prevention his precise champion performances for the World Cup, and Achraf Hakimi, arguably the champion right-back successful the world, arsenic good arsenic coagulated centre-backs and a midfield that works hard to surface the defence.

Morocco’s Yassine Bounou clears the shot nether unit from Canada’s guardant Promise David [AFP]

France volition get their hands dirty

For 4 matches astatine the World Cup, France had enchanted the globe with their attacking play. Yet successful Saturday’s trench warfare against Paraguay, Les Bleus showed they could get their hands dirty, too.

For 90 minutes, they resisted the provocation of a Paraguay broadside who played with the weapons astatine their disposal. And whether radical similar it oregon not, ‌the acheronian arts that were connected show are portion of the past of the planetary game.

France’s accomplishment was to travel done it – dissimilar Germany, eliminated by the South Americans successful the circular of 32 – and to bash truthful successful 90 minutes, dissimilar Argentina, who needed a draining extra-time conflict to flooded Cape Verde.

Not ever helped by referee Ilgiz Tantashev, who did not amusement Paraguay a azygous yellowish card, France nevertheless reached the quarterfinals having shown they are arsenic beardown successful a combat arsenic they are connected the ball.

“We ⁠reminded everyone that France are not conscionable astir playing football,” second-half substitute Rayan Cherki said.

“To anyone who wants to spell to warfare with us, this is what you should expect.”

Morocco’s precocious coaching alteration pays disconnected again

Four years ago, Morocco’s groundbreaking advancement to the semifinal of the World Cup successful Qatar came contempt ⁠changing their manager 3 months earlier the tournament.

They did the aforesaid again up of the 2026 finals successful Canada, Mexico and the United States – but the determination appears to beryllium paying off. Ouahbi is proving to beryllium an inspired replacement for Walid Regragui, who discontinue aft the Africa Cup of Nations finals earlier this year.

He changed unit and tactical plans, notably dispensing with a accepted centre-forward, deploying Ismael Saibari successful a “false nine”, and getting midfielder Azzedine Ounahi ⁠to play higher up the pitch.

The results were instant – Ounahi scored doubly against Canada connected Saturday arsenic Morocco became the archetypal broadside into the past eight.

Morocco’s Azzedine Ounahi celebrates scoring against Canada with teammate Brahim Diaz [AFP]

Suspension unreality hangs implicit France

One interest for France is that Bradley Barcola, Manu Kone and Michael Olise each ‌picked up a yellowish paper successful their past lucifer and volition miss a imaginable semifinal if they are booked against Morocco.

While France manager Didier Deschamps tin trust connected Desire Doue, who won the punishment for France against Paraguay, to regenerate Barcola if helium is suspended, ‌the shot manager would request to find different options successful the midfield should Kone miss out.

Olise’s lack – he’s been a top-three subordinate for France astatine the tourney –  would beryllium a large stroke for Les Bleus, were helium to beryllium suspended.