France takes on Morocco in the second semifinal of the 2022 World Cup on Dec. 14.
The prize for the winner is a place in the final of international soccer’s most prestigious competition against Argentina or Croatia.
Here are five things to know about the match and a prediction of how it will finish.
France has the pedigree, Morocco the momentum
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. This is the seventh time Les Bleus has reached the last four and it could yet face Croatia, the team it beat in the 2018 final, in this year’s final.
Morocco, a rank outsider at the start of the tournament, is the first African team to reach a World Cup semifinal. It is the outsider for this match but remains unbeaten, having secured against-the-odds wins over Spain and Portugal in the knockout stage.
These teams have never played each other at a World Cup. The last meeting between the two was a friendly in 2007, that ended in a 2-2 draw. Morocco has only beaten France once, back in 1963.
Kylian Mbappé will be up against a familiar face
Mbappé, the tournament’s top goalscorer with five in five games, will be facing his Paris Saint-Germain teammate (for now at least) Archaf Hakimi. Hakimi, who plays right-back, has been one of the standout performers in what is the World Cup’s meanest defence.
England right-back Kyle Walker had some success keeping Mbappé quiet in the quarterfinal, with France relying on goals from Aurélien Tchouaméni and Olivier Giroud for the 2-1 victory. Hakimi also has the pace and power Walker possesses and will need it to keep his club teammate quiet. 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.
Morocco’s defense has been the World Cup’s best
The Atlas Lions have conceded only once on this historic run – and that was an own goal. Fellow semifinalist Croatia, Belgium, Spain and Portugal have all failed to find the Moroccan net. When Morocco went to a penalty shootout against Spain in the Round of 16, its impressive goalkeeper, Yassine “Bono” Bounou, saved two spot kicks.
The defense has also had to adapt. Against Portugal, Nayef Aguerd and Noussair Mazraoui, who both played in the back four against Spain, were missing through injury. Another defender, center-back Romain Saiss, was stretchered off during the match. He may be back against France but Aguerd and Mazraoui are doubts. It may not matter. Changing the players has not changed the script – Morocco’s defense is very hard to break.
Both teams prefer to counter attack
Despite being a team packed with hugely talented players, France is happy to let the opposition have the ball. It showed this against England, which had 58% possession and twice as many shots as the World Cup holder. France’s strategy, though, is to wait for the moment to strike its opponent. It was effective against England and a similar approach worked at the World Cup in Russia four years ago. Against Morocco, there will be an onus on France to attack more, to have more possession. This should not be an issue with the attacking players it has, but it is not the gameplan that has taken it this far.
Morocco’s tactic is even more defensive. It has averaged 32% possession in its five World Cup matches, the second-lowest of any team. Against Portugal, it only had 26% of the ball. 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. Morocco manager Walid Regragui doesn’t care if people criticize his team’s style of play.
“We’ll play the way we know how. We are here to win, not to have possession. If they give it to us then fine, we’ll see and we’ll do whatever it takes not to get beat,” he said at the pre-match press conference.
The coaches have had contrasting journeys
Didier Deschamps has been manager of France for a decade. Winning the 2018 World Cup made him the third man to win the World Cup as both a player and a manager. This is his third World Cup managing France.
Regragui, who was born in France and spent most of his playing career in the country, was surprisingly appointed to lead Morocco in August. He had led Wydad AC to the CAF Champions League title in May, but it was still a surprise to see Regragui replace former head coach Vahid Halilhodžić only a few months before the finals. He has taken Morocco further than anyone imagined at this World Cup and thinks the team can still give more.
After beating Portugal, Regragui said: “We can dream, why shouldn’t we dream about winning the World Cup?”
Prediction
With injuries and some tired legs, I see Morocco’s amazing run ending here. I think France’s extra experience will tell and the match will finish 2-0 to France. (Forbes)