By Aderonke Ojo
…Big Encore of Same Margin that Stopped Morocco at the Semis in 2022.
At the Gillette Stadium, France kicked out the Atlas Lions of Morocco 2-0 painfully an exact encore of their semifinal encounter in the last world cup.
Kylian Mbappe who earlier missed a penalty kick dazed the Lions in the 60th minute when Desire Doue laced him a pass and he scored with the same right foot that earlier missed the penalty. His goal brought him eight at par with Lionel Messi in pursuit of the Golden Boot.
Then Issa Diop of Morocco fouled and in the resultant process Mbappe found Senegalese in French jersey, Ousmane Dembele who scored in the 66th to close the game.
Lucas Digne had conceded a corner kick and in the process Noussair Mazraoui fouled on Mbappe and the kick by Mbappe in the 28th minute was saved by Goalkeeper Bounou Yassine.
Only two of nine world cup penalties have been converted against Bounou and these include penalty shootouts. This is the second time France will miss penalty in an ingame match the first was by Benzema against Switzerland at the 2014 world cup.
Incidentally Morocco never beat France in the six times they met. France won 4 times and got 2 draws. The only time they met at the world cup was the 2022 tournament semifinal played at Al Bayr Stadium Qatar on 14th December that France won same margin as today 2-0.
Argentina won her 3rd title at that tournament and France was Runnersup; Kylian Mbappe was highest scorer with 8 goals. Croatia won the Bronze beating Morocco 4-2 on penalties after 3-3 at full time.
France ranked 3rd in the world had beaten Morocco ranked 7th at their organised King Hassan tournaments twice in 2007 which was 2-2 draw and the 1999 finals 1-0. Morocco at home in a friendly of 6th June 2000 by 5-1 and in 1998 it was 2-2. France who were twice world champions in 1988 and 2018 was in their 17th appearances whereas Morocco who is at the party for the 7th time had the 2022 semifinal as their best time.
France will now meet winner between Spain and Belgium in the first Semifinal at Arlington on 14th July.
Other Quarterfinal pairings are
Spain vs Belgium at 8pm on July 10
Norway vs England at 10pm on July 11
Argentina vs Swiss at 2am on July 12
