Match Report: France write the end to the Moroccan fairy-tale as they advance to the World Cup Final

Didier Deschamps’ side said au revoir to Morocco, beating them 2-0 in a cagey game on Wednesday night. An early break in the otherwise airtight Moroccan defence allowed Theo Hernandez to smash home the opener. This set the narrative early on that this would be no special night, no David and Goliath story. And who else but Kylian Mbappe to conjure a bit of magic that rattled Morocco’s backline just enough to allow Randal Kolo Muani to poke home the dagger that sealed the deal.

In all honesty, France were far below the team the world knows them to be. Antoine Griezmann continued his evolution into a tireless midfielder, able to provide the glorious attacking quality he’s shown in glimpses these past few years, and willing to do the “dirty work” that was the concern of N’golo Kante and Matuidi in Russia all those years ago. Ibrahima Konate was France’s rock, showing the maturity and quality needed to carry France not only to the final, but also to their first clean sheet all tourn

ament. Above that, few shined bright for Le Blues. Why is that?

Walid Regragui’s team knew that the eyes of history were upon them, and they played as such.

They ran, they fought, they attacked every second ball, they pressed with intensity, they worked together as one. France’s defence was not an impenetrable wall during the game despite Konate’s brilliance, and it would be a fair assessment to say that they rode their luck on many occasions, weathering a Moroccan storm in the latter stages of the first half and the opening and middle stages of the second half.

While the game kicked off Al Bayt Stadium in Qatar, you wouldn’t have called a madman if you thought it had actually taken place in the Stade Mohammed V. The Moroccan fans showed up in droves, and they brought the noise. As soon as Ousmane Dembele gained possession for the French in the opening stages of the game, the whole stadium erupted into a symphony of boos and whistles. It seemed that the fans also knew that this was history before our eyes.

But sometimes, history doesn’t favour the underdogs.

In just the 5th minute of the game, Raphael Varane played a cutting pass through the heart of the Moroccan defence which was misread by Jawad El Yamiq. Griezmann played it across to Mbappe who saw 2 shots blocked, and the ball fell ever so perfectly to Theo Hernandez who smashed it in at the far post.

The 2nd goal they conceded all tournament. The first player to actually score against them (they had only conceded an own goal prior). It all felt so cheap. This felt like a goal a lesser nation would concede against a team like France. One where the nerves get to you in the face of such devastating quality. Nayef Aguerd ruled unfit before kick-off, captain Romain Saiss was substituted in the early stages of the first half after it became clear that he couldn’t continue after letting in behind, only to smash it against the post. France should’ve been 2-0 up inside the first 25 minutes.

A lesser team, a lesser nation would’ve shrunk after such an early setback. But not Morocco. Not this Morocco.

From this point on, the North Africans took the fight to the French. Azzedine Ounahi held his own and more, forcing Lloris into a diving save after a speculative shot from distance early in the first half. The 22 year old has been quietly excellent all tournament, displaying technical ability and wonderfully graceful on the ball technique. He’s had the kind of tournament that attracts the big clubs in summer.

Sofiane Boufal played Ziyech in after a brilliant piece of skill in the 17th minute, but he fell as he took his shot leading to a goal kick. It’s so often a cliché in football writing, but sometimes it just isn’t your night, and the rest of the game’s proceedings would only further prove that notion.

Morocco were largely dominant in terms of possession in both halves, leaving with 67% overall. That can be attributed to their off the ball performance, running with purpose to close down any meaningful French possession. No player embodied this more than Sofyan Amrabat. He was a Moroccan machine marshalling the midfield.

The 57th minute of the game saw Mbappe break past Hakimi and make it to the by-line, only to have Amrabat absolutely plough through him, stopping the cutback, regaining possession and bring the ball back up the other end, leading to a chance that required last ditch defending from Konate to deny En-Nesyri from close range. That was not the last moment Morocco had.

Substitute Abderrazak Hamdallah won the ball high and had a massive chance to level things up in the 76th minute. However, he showed a hesitance in going for the strike first time, instead opting to round Lloris, allowing France to get enough bodies back to close down the move. With the benefit of hindsight, many would earmark this moment as the point that Morocco truly blew it. Hesitance cost them.

Then came the dagger. In the 80th minute, Kylian Mbappe dazzled defenders, and his resulting shot allowed newly substituted Mauni to tap in the goal that ended the dream. Even after that, Hamdallah had a shot cleared off the line by Konate. Fate was not kind to Morocco.

Even so, as the game drew to applause, the Moroccan fans in the stadium rose to give their team a standing ovation. They had done Morocco and Africa proud and signalled a change in the status quo. The monopoly South America and Europe have on the World Cup is becoming weaker. New teams, new nations are beginning to dream, and now they have the quality and resources to match.