The World Cup dream of Morocco is ended, but France’s hopes of capturing back-to-back championships are still alive. France defeated Cinderella Morocco 2-0 on Wednesday in the semifinal, scoring a goal in each half to progress to the final on Sunday. The French will now play Argentina in the cup on Sunday. The third-place matchup will be played on Saturday between Morocco and Croatia.
Theo Hernandez scored the game-winning goal with a close-range strike in the fifth minute, and Randal Kolo Muani put an end to it in the 79th minute after Kylian Mbappe’s drive was deflected in. Morocco made a brave effort to tie the score.
The winning goal is as follows:
THE DEFENDING CHAMPIONS SCORE FIRST
Theo Hernández puts France out in front 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/8YFbCwGN9d
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 14, 2022
The early goal gave France the advantage, but Morocco controlled possession and had several good chances to tie the game. In the first half, Jawad El Yamiq’s bicycle kick struck the post.
The tournament’s favorite team, Morocco, can still place third. They became the first African team to advance to the semifinals with their historic journey. Karim Benzema, the Ballon d’Or winning striker, was one of many pre-tournament ailments that France overcame to return to the big game.
Here are our main points:
Morocco went down swinging
What a tale! Morocco, who has defeated Belgium, Spain, and Portugal, will complete the World Cup in fourth place at the very least, representing their nation, the Arab world, and all of Africa. They don’t have nearly as many brilliant players as the big dogs, but they do have Achraf Hakimi, who has been outstanding. Hakim Ziyech produced memorable moments after coming out of international retirement, and Sofyan Amrabat’s outstanding performances in the middle may have won him a significant January transfer from Fiorentina.
It was without a doubt the most unexpected Cinderella World Cup run that we have witnessed in a very, very long time.
“We sacrificed our all. It is the most crucial “Walid Regragui, the manager of Morocco and a native of France, made the statement after the game, via beIN Sports. “We suffered a few injuries, which is not good for us. But because we gave our all, I have nothing to say.”
Walid Regragui receives a loud ovation from Morocco fans after Morocco's semifinal exit 🇲🇦👏 pic.twitter.com/ZJP2UpEvUb
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 14, 2022
They went through their first five games without giving up a goal, and the one goal they did give up was their own goal. They had little control over the unfortunate deflections that led to the goals they conceded against France. They won their group and captured the hearts of numerous soccer fans worldwide. They caused severe problems for powers like France, Spain, and Portugal during this tournament. Morocco has demonstrated once more that you can always dream, regardless of your country’s talent, size, or history. The sport is in a better situation than it was prior to the tournament.
Morocco had a World Cup to remember, beating Belgium, Spain and Portugal along the way.
They became the first African country to reach the semifinals of a men's World Cup. 👏 pic.twitter.com/kJ3LjiK9l0
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) December 14, 2022
France wasn’t overly impressive
Despite what one may assume from the score, France didn’t control this game. Don’t get me wrong, they deserved to win, but Morocco controlled the game’s tempo with 61% possession and was only a few crucial passes from scoring. Only one of Morocco’s eight efforts inside the box connected, as the winners effectively closed down when they had to.
Although France’s defense faced 13 shots, there weren’t many instances when it appeared that Morocco would actually score despite some good build-up play.
In the end, France did more than enough despite having little access to the ball in a tough match between two impressive teams. They will be sore going into the final after a number of excessively tough trials, but they will refuel with the knowledge that they have a chance to become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to win the World Cup twice.
Will the game plan look similar to when they face Argentina?
Argentina will seek the ball out as much as they can, and we might see them use the same five-at-the-back formation we used against the Netherlands. But is it possible that France will use the same strategy of defending passively and then attacking the break in this match? It will be clear early on in the final how France will approach it because facing Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez is very different from having Morocco hit you with the attack. To their credit, though, they have always looked good regardless of the style.
The key will be to challenge a bit more intelligently, as they did in this match, especially in the box after giving up two penalties to England in the semifinals.
