France vs Morocco: Key Battles to watch out for

The Atlas Lions will be looking to create history as they face Le Blues.

After the Quarter Finals, the list of Semifinalists is sealed. The 2nd Semi Final of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar is between France and Morocco. The defending champion France is pitted against the ultimate underdog of this tournament, Morocco. Keeping previous matches in mind, they both are extremely dangerous to each other. France has one of the best attacks in the world right now, while Morocco’s defence has become the reason for the elimination of many big teams.

France was drawn with Denmark, Australia, and Tunisia in the group stage. They managed to defeat Denmark and Australia but surprisingly were defeated by Tunisia in their last group fixture. They still came at the top of the group. France faced Poland in the Round of 16 and went comfortably to the quarter-finals where they faced their neighbours the English. They managed to grab a win against England in a difficult match.

Morocco is the surprise entrant in the Semis of the World Cup. The Atlas Lions are the first African and Arab nations to have reached the Semi-Finals of the FIFA World Cup. They were drawn into a group with teams like Croatia, Belgium, and Canada. Out of everybody’s expectations, they topped the group by defeating Canada and FIFA's No.2 ranked team Belgium. Morocco drew against Croatia. They defeated Spain and Portugal in the Round of 16 and the Quarter Finals respectively. They are called the giant slayers because of these recent feats.

France and Morocco match will be held on 15th December in Al-Bayt Stadium at 12:30 a.m. IST.

Key Battles

Antoine Griezmann vs Sofyan Amrabat

Griezmann becomes the all-time top assist provider for France during the World Cup in Qatar. He has been an important pillar of the French squad. He has been phenomenal in the midfield, providing assists to his fellow teammates. The Atletico Madrid star is a perfect ball-maker for the French attack which includes players like Giroud and Mbappe. The counterpart to Griezmann is the Moroccan Midfielder Amrabat.

Sofyan Amrabat is having the time of his life in this World Cup, and this has been the best performance of his career. He is instrumental in Morocco’s counter-attacking approach. His performance against Spain in the Round of 16 has impressed fans all around the world. He dominated the midfield by intercepting and defending against the Spanish midfield. It will be interesting to see Griezmann’s skills which can find cracks in the defence line against Amrabat’s intercepting and tackling skills.

Oliver Giroud vs Yahya Attiat-Allah

Oliver Giroud has become the all-time top goal scorer for France during this World Cup. He has scored four goals so far in the tournament. He is the ultimate number 9 for France and stood up to the moment when Benzema was not available. His goal against England led them to the Semi-Finals of the World Cup. To tackle Giroud, Morocco has Yahya Attiat Allah in their team. Due to injuries, Morocco has lost three defender and their chance of playing the Semis are slim.

Yahya Attiat Allah has however come to the rescue. He was amazing in the clash against Portugal. He not only showed a masterclass in defence but also contributed to the Moroccan attack by assisting the winning and only goal of the Quarter Finals match against Portugal. Yahya along with other defenders was able to stop the advance of the Portuguese attack which included Ronaldo, Fernandes, Felix, and Silva to name a few. He is up against Giroud in their next, who is in great form. It will be a challenge for both.

Kylian Mbappe vs Achraf Hakimi

The Semi-Final match will put two best friends against each other. Kylian and Hakimi are known bros in the PSG squad, but they will have to face each other in the Semis for their respective countries. Mbappe is having a terrific tournament. He is leading the race for the Golden Boot of the World Cup with five goals to his name. He is not only a scorer but also a provider and has provided two assists in this tournament. Mbappe has run past many defenders in this tournament with his incredible is a big trouble for the opposite side.

However, his challenger is his dear friend Achraf Hakimi from PSG. Hakimi is also having a fantastic tournament having achieved many feats with his team. The wingback has contributed to the attack and so much defensively. He possesses the speed to match or at least give Mbappe a tough time on the pitch. Their battle will be worth watching as they both know each other’s strengths and weaknesses.