France and Morocco have set their sight on the FIFA World Cup semi-final stage as they square off at the Boston Stadium on Thursday afternoon, with kick-off at 16:00 local time.
Without a doubt, Morocco is fast becoming one of Africa’s toughest sides in recent years and will be hoping to deliver yet another memorable performance on the world stage come Thursday night.
The French booked their place in the tournament’s last eight following a 1-0 victory over Paraguay during the Round of 16 stage at the Philadelphia Stadium on Monday, 4 July.
Kylian Mbappé sealed the victory for Les Blues
What was a tense affair between the South American side and the French saw loads of running and physicality, with both teams having a real go at one another. However, it was Kylian Mbappé who separated the sides through a 70th-minute penalty.
Morocco eased past hosts Canada
On the other hand, Morocco easily defeated hosts Canada 3-0 at the Houston Stadium to book their place in the quarter-finals. Goals from Azzedine Ounahi (2) and Soufiane Rahimi sealed the victory in stoppage time as Canada struggled to find a way past Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.
France assistant coach heaps praise on Morocco
Speaking ahead of the clash against Morocco, France assistant coach Guy Stephan had special words of encouragement reserved for Les Lions de l’Atlas, whom he feels will be one of the teams to beat at this year’s FIFA World Cup.
“Their team organisation makes them dangerous,” Stephan told FIFA.com. “They are well-structured as a group and very solid; they are also good on the counter-attack and have scored plenty of goals in this tournament.”
Stephan continued to heap praise on the Moroccan Federation for investing huge sums into the local league structure, which he believes will only improve Morocco as time goes on.
“They (Morocco) have drawn against Brazil and beaten the Netherlands. They can mix it with the best teams from Europe and South America.”
France vs Morocco head-to-head record
France has faced Morocco on two previous occasions, with one win each and a draw recorded between the two sides.
