Subs: Samba, Gusto, Tchouameni, Thuram, Kante, Konate, Zaire Emery, Theo Hernandez, Lucas Hernandez, Mateta, Risser, Cherki, Akliouche, Lacroix, Barcola.
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Morocco: Bounou, Hakimi, Diop, Mazraoui, Saleh-Eddine, Bouaddi, El Aynaoui, Diaz, Ounahi, Talbi, El Khannous.
Subs: Mohamedi, Tagnaouti, Amrabat, Saadane, Saibari, El Ouahdi, El Mourabet, Yassine, Sbai, Belammari, El Kaabi, Amaimouni-Echghouyab, Halhal, Riad, Rahimi.
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Referee: Facundo Tello Figueroa (Argentina).
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It’s a rerun of the 2022 semi-final. France were expected to make easy work of Morocco four years ago in Qatar, but the Atlas Lions gave them a good run for their money …
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… and since then, Morocco have since become champions of Africa, caveats aside, and the sixth best team in the rankings. They’re the real deal, and while France are once again tipped to emerge victorious this evening, it’s no longer with the assumptions of old. France have ambitions to win this title, but so do Morocco, who in addition are also after revenge. This, then, is set up deliciously. Kick off is at 4pm in Boston (9pm BST/6am AEST). It’s on!
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Key events
10 min: Kone wins the ball 25 yards out and feeds Mbappe, who considers shooting but lays off to Doue instead. Doue takes a whack, but it’s blocked at source. France definitely on top during the opening exchanges.
8 min: Doue dribbles hard down the left but just as he looks like entering the box, Bouaddi – who today becomes the second-youngest player to feature in a WOrld Cup quarter-final behind Pele – toes the ball away.
7 min: Morocco calm things down a bit with some sterile domination, passing it back, forth and around the defence.
5 min: Mbappe takes a speculative whack at goal from distance. Bounou isn’t taking any chances and tips around the post. The corner comes in from the left, and Upamecano meets it, though he’s mistimed his jump a little, and in falling backwards, only sends a weak header straight at the keeper. Bounou still needs to make the save, though, and does with a strong hand.
3 min: A lot of France possession during the early moments. Quite a bit of whistling as they attempt to establish a bit of order. “La Marseillaise sounded especially jaunty tonight,” notes Charles Antaki. “A different recording? I doubt if they have a band hidden away somewhere, though given the usual theatricals at US sporting events there may be a marching band doing the business somewhere in the bowels of the stadium.”
2 min: It’s 32 degrees in Massachusetts. Positively British. “On ITV during a discussion about players representing countries they weren’t born in Mark Pougatch just said ‘the world is a global entity now’,” reports Jon Collin. “I thought too hard about that sentence and might have to sit this one out. May the best entity win!”
Morocco get the ball rolling. More specifically: they launch it. Anticipation crackles around Boston Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts, home of the NFL’s New England Patriots and the New England Revolution of the MLS.
The teams are out! Morocco wear their first-choice red, so France sport their change kit of mint green. We’ll be off once the national anthems are sung. Morocco’s speaks of “heading for grandeur” and its proud melody takes them there. It was composed during the final years of the French protectorate … speaking of which, there’s this banger …
Pre-match postbag. “So will Morocco allow France the time and space to show off their tuxedos or will they force them back into the sweat-soaked (and somewhat bloodied) overalls that Paraguay made them wear in Philadelphia? I think the French are in for a long shift this evening, and probably penalties” – Justin Kavanagh
“Best World Cup: nine African teams and three Concacaf in the knockouts. Unprecedented!
Worst World Cup: six Europeans in the last eight. Boring!!!
Best World Cup?: four teams in last four that have never won (Norway, Morocco, Switzerland, Belgium).
Worst World Cup?: nothing new to see here, four past champions in the last four.
Here’s hoping for the best.” – Dominic O’Donnell
“In hindsight, that wonderful thing, Scotland probably played their best match of the tournament against Morocco, and were slightly unlucky in the end not to get the point that would have seen them qualify for the knockouts. And then who knows what might have happened? Actually, I think we all do, a last 32 defeat by Mexico or some other team, that’s what. But you get my drift, right? A little bit of reflected glory is always good. Remember McFadden in Paris? And it’s not that long ago since we beat Spain and Norway in Euro qualifying, and thrashed England 0-0 at Wembley. So we know who the real winners are on July 19” – Simon McMahon
Time to view this World Cup through a different lens. Our picture editor Jonny Weeks has adapted some of his favourite photos using an alternative process called slit-scanning, which produces some astonishing results … and has a longer and more varied history in sports photography than you might assume.
France have long demonstrated the benefits of diversity at the World Cup. Now Morocco are reaping similar rewards, with six members of Morocco’s squad – Ayyoub Bouaddi, Issa Diop, Neil El Aynaoui, Samir El Mourabet, Gessime Yassine and Redouane Halhal – born in France. This piece from the Guardian Sport Network, on how today’s quarter-final sums up the multicultural nature of the tournament, deserves your time and your love.
The pre-match press conferences. Didier Deschamps plays down the identity of tonight’s referee, with officialdom having been front and centre this week, while giving his opponents their flowers: “This Morocco is of very high quality.” His opposite number Mohamed Ouahbi meanwhile insists his team are here to win the whole thing.
Morocco make two changes to their starting line-up from the win over Canada. Anass Salah-Eddine replaces Redouane Halhal in defence, while midfielder Chemsdine Talbi takes the place of stricken striker Ismael Saibari. Brahim Diaz will likely play as a lone forward in Saibari’s absence.
France make one change to their starting XI following the battle with Paraguay. Désiré Doué replaces his PSG team-mate Bradley Barcola on the left flank.
The teams
France: Maignan, Kounde, Upamecano, Saliba, Digne, Kone, Rabiot, Dembele, Olise, Doue, Mbappe.
Subs: Samba, Gusto, Tchouameni, Thuram, Kante, Konate, Zaire Emery, Theo Hernandez, Lucas Hernandez, Mateta, Risser, Cherki, Akliouche, Lacroix, Barcola.
Morocco: Bounou, Hakimi, Diop, Mazraoui, Saleh-Eddine, Bouaddi, El Aynaoui, Diaz, Ounahi, Talbi, El Khannous.
Subs: Mohamedi, Tagnaouti, Amrabat, Saadane, Saibari, El Ouahdi, El Mourabet, Yassine, Sbai, Belammari, El Kaabi, Amaimouni-Echghouyab, Halhal, Riad, Rahimi.
Referee: Facundo Tello Figueroa (Argentina).
Morocco have played France on six previous occasions, and have never beaten them. Two draws, four defeats, six goals scored, 14 conceded. But one of those draws was against the France of Zinedine Zidane, Laurent Blanc, Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry et al, a couple of months before les Bleus prevailed in the 1998 World Cup final … and after sharing four goals, Morocco won a penalty shoot-out. Slim pickings, then, but at least it’s not nothing at all. And there’s always a first time.
Morocco were the stand-out team of Group C. They didn’t win it, because they failed to put Brazil away, but it only took 70 seconds to see off Scotland and while they risked embarrassment against Haiti, they eventually overpowered the underdogs 4-2.
In the knockouts, they were taken to the brink by the Netherlands, then took 45 minutes to warm up against Canada before swatting the co-hosts aside and out of their own tournament. And now we are here.
France swanned their way through Group I. They elegantly survived the Senegal test. Took a two-hour storm break in their stride to see off Iraq. Then eased past Norway B thanks to Ousmane Dembélé’s quick-fire first-half hat-trick.
Then in the knockouts, things went from the sublime to the ridiculous. And here we are.
… and so to the business end of this World Cup. But let’s start this story from the very beginning.
Preamble
It’s a rerun of the 2022 semi-final. France were expected to make easy work of Morocco four years ago in Qatar, but the Atlas Lions gave them a good run for their money …
… and since then, Morocco have since become champions of Africa, caveats aside, and the sixth best team in the rankings. They’re the real deal, and while France are once again tipped to emerge victorious this evening, it’s no longer with the assumptions of old. France have ambitions to win this title, but so do Morocco, who in addition are also after revenge. This, then, is set up deliciously. Kick off is at 4pm in Boston (9pm BST/6am AEST). It’s on!