Durban — African history makers Morocco will face their toughest test yet as they battle the defending champions France in the semi-finals of the Fifa World Cup.
Les Bleus were forced to find an extra gear in their last encounter against England as the Three Lions not only pushed them to their defensive maximum but also offered a glimpse of the blueprint on how to stop the flying Kylian Mbappe.
Mbappe is undoubtedly France’s most potent weapon and has registered five goals and two assists in this year's competition, the one match he hasn’t been able to influence is their last encounter against England.
The 23-year-old will battle his best friend and Paris Saint Germain right-back Ashraf Hakimi. Mbappe has terrifying pace, an abundance of skill, the ability to manoeuvre in tight spaces and create goal-scoring openings out of the blue.
England right-back Kyle Walker only lost one battle of speed against the irrepressible Mbappe, a feat Hakimi will be eager to accomplish. Walker’s efforts were aided by his teammates lurking around in defensive zones, ready to pounce on any loose ball or possible danger.
The most important element of the Atlas Lions’ historic success has been their defensive displays against their more-favoured opponents.
Morocco beat Belgium in the group stages, took Spain to their limits in the round of 16 before winning on penalties and overcame losses to key players through injury and suspension to shock Portugal and the world.
The North Africans have kept four clean sheets in their five matches so far, an African record, the only goal they have conceded was an own goal against Canada.
Morocco’s Sofyan Amrabat has undoubtedly been one of the outstanding midfielders of the tournament, his ability to anticipate danger, win aerial and ground duels and progress play, enabled his side to be extremely effective on their counter attacks.
Another point of consideration that saw England cause France problems and one Morocco coach Wahid Regragui might want to look at, is exploiting one of France’s strengths and turning it into a weakness.
Coach Didier Deschamp’s men have terrorised teams with their overloads on the wings with left-back Theo Hernandez bombing forward but the space he vacated was utilised by Bukayo Saka, leading to England’s goal.
The right side duo of Hakimi and Hakim Ziyech have been the Atlas Lions’ most lethal weapons, being directly involved in three of Morocco’s goals in the competition, so using them to exploit that space will give Morocco a chance to shock the footballing world once again.
IOL Sport