France had to dig deep and battle hard against World Cup wild cards Morocco before sealing a place in Sunday's final against Argentina. The first Arab-African team to reach a World Cup semi-final refused to buckle despite suffering the early blows of losing key players to injury. France ended winning 2-0 and the Gulf News football experts look back at the match and forwards to Sunday's final.
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00:00Hello and welcome to Golf News kicking back where the sad news is that Morocco's World
00:14Cup dream has now finally come to an end. They were playing France yesterday evening
00:19in the semi-final of the World Cup and they pushed them all the way and unfortunately
00:24for them they ended up losing 2-0. Two scrappy goals wasn't it Sharm in the end? It wasn't
00:28exactly another great scintillating performance which we thought we might get from France.
00:33It was more of another solid robust display from Morocco and that made it hard for France
00:38to break them down and like I just said it was two, wasn't the best of goals but the
00:42difference was they took the opportunities when they were presented to them. This is
00:47the classic France. These European sides are very solid. For them it's all about game
00:53management. They just sit back and wait for the opportunity and put the goals in and then
00:57just close the match out. This is classic European style of football, isn't it? But
01:04I was glad that goal fell in the 5th minute simply because that tore the script to shreds.
01:12We were expecting Morocco to sit back, defend and hit the French with the counters. That
01:205th minute goal changed everything. And what I saw was a completely different Morocco and
01:27they were all over the French. In fact, the 10 minutes before the half-time, it looked
01:32like a goal was coming any minute. That was perhaps the best 10 minutes of the match as
01:37far as for me. Not just that, they kept pressing throughout. And it's just that they needed
01:44some good finishing and a bit of luck that it happened. Youssef Nasseri was completely
01:48absent today and they needed somebody to really, really put the ball in. And one good chance
01:54they had that Aboukhal who came as a substitute. He flubbed it. Not just that, Unahi who had
01:59a very good match. And what a shot that 25-yarder had gone in. I mean, Hugo Lloris just kept
02:06it out. And if that had gone in, I think we would have had a different match.
02:13But even despite all this, I think Morocco can go with their heads high because they
02:18have proved to the world that there is African football. There is Arab football. And you
02:24don't have to have tradition. You don't have to have heritage. You don't need to be the
02:29inventors of football like England to play good football. Football is a universal sport.
02:35It's popular anywhere, everywhere, every nook and corner of the world. And this is what
02:39Morocco showed. This is about passion. That's what they showed. Not just that, I think they
02:45have inspired a whole generation of players in the Arab world as well as in Africa. Hakimi,
02:53Sias, Unahi, Muno, all these players have become household names. And I think we will
03:00see more and more good footballers coming out of this region. I think that is perhaps
03:03the best legacy of this Moroccan performance. And years later, I said this back in previous
03:09interviews, years later, when you look back at the Qatar World Cup and you see the story
03:13of… It's not about the winners. You see the story of Morocco, the rise of Morocco,
03:19the rise of Arab football, the rise of African football. That is what Morocco has done to
03:23this World Cup. I think for sure the players you mentioned, Nesham, particularly Unahi,
03:27I've been really impressed with him. He's playing for League One bottom team, Angers
03:31at the moment. I think when the January transfer window opens up, Shamsher, I think a lot of
03:35Premier League teams will be interested in that midfielder. He's had a superb tournament,
03:38as has Amrabat, as has Ziyech and Bouffal and countless others. But I just want to bring
03:44up a small point in yesterday's game. The difference between the two sides. Basically
03:47yesterday we saw Mbappé for the second goal, like he does, take a few players on, and
03:52then have a pop-out goal. Crucially, take a chance, take a shot. Before that, two minutes
03:56before that, Morocco substitute Hamdala did the exact same thing. Superb run into the
04:00box. And he had a second even to compose himself and to shoot the balls on his left foot. He
04:04chose not to. He tried to beat another player. The chance was gone. The difference, I think,
04:08guys, is when moments like this pop up in matches, you just have to take a chance because
04:12you never know. It could come off a defender's leg and it could end up somewhere else to
04:15your own player into the back of the net. But by not even taking a chance at goal, that
04:20opportunity was lost. But just looking at the stats, Morocco had more of the possession
04:23than France. They had 60% of the ball yesterday. I mean, that's incredible. When's the last
04:27time France has been outplayed in the possession stakes? Hardly ever. You don't ever hear of
04:31a situation like that. So yes, as Shams said, all credit to Morocco. They've made this tournament
04:36what it is, actually. It's been a superb tournament up until now. And it's purely thanks to stories
04:42like Morocco doing so well, getting out of that group, getting past the last 16, into
04:47the quarterfinals, into the semifinals for the very first time for an Arab-African country.
04:52That's never been happened before. But Shams, what did you make of the game yesterday and
04:56particularly Morocco's opportunities? And also, we have to remember that they lost two
05:02key players in that game. They lost a captain who already wasn't fit enough to start, but
05:07he wanted to play. He wanted to try to see if he could do it. He only lasted, what, 20
05:13minutes? And fortunately, it was a big risk. Had it backfired, they may have conceded a
05:17couple more goals. But what did you make of them yesterday, Shams? Your overall?
05:22Overall, they have made the whole of Africa proud. That's the only thing that we can talk
05:29about them. And about the particular game, this is how France plays, man. You feel like
05:35they haven't played well, but they'll come up as winners. I was saying the same thing
05:39yesterday. This is Deschamps' France. That's how they play. That's a problem. It's scary,
05:46actually. They don't even go up to a gear. They'll play in the second gear all the game
05:51and they still come up as winners. That is scary for Argentina, I'm saying. And they
05:56have match winners like Mbappé and Griezmann. I have to mention Griezmann, man. He was everywhere
06:02on the pitch. Everywhere. I saw Pogba's Instagram post after the game. He said,
06:09Griezmann Kante. It was actually like that. He was playing like a Kante. He was everywhere
06:15on the pitch. On the defensive side, on the offensive side, he was creating chances
06:19whenever he was getting the ball. And he was coming into the midfield and helping the team.
06:23Yes, Morocco played so well. But like what you said, they didn't have the cutting edge.
06:28The ZH played like the ZH of Chelsea. He should have played like the ZH of Morocco.
06:32That was another big difference. And Nassiri, he had nothing… There was nothing for him to do
06:39because there was no crosses coming in. They had chances to put the ball into the box and they
06:43didn't do it in the first half on many occasions. And that Yamika's mistake, that was the first
06:50mistake they did in the whole of the tournament, maybe defensively. So, that gave Griezmann the
06:55chance to put the ball into the box and the ball came for the first one in the fifth minute or
06:59something of the game. So, you know, they were so organised. But I think Valid Regreggi tried to
07:05be a little more defensive than the usual one. Yes, they play defensive football. But they tried
07:10to play five at the back and change the whole formation, change the system. And that could have
07:15backfired, I think. And obviously, the unfit players like Romain Saiz. You know, if you're
07:21not fully fit, you can't play a semi-final. Yes, I can see the adrenaline rush and you wanted to
07:26give everything. But still, that's a big mistake. Agued was in the team shape at first in the
07:31beginning. Then he had to pop out. Mazraoui was not fit. He had to be taken off at the half-time.
07:37So, they were so unlucky with all these injuries, man. This is Morocco. This is not like a
07:42France squad or an England squad. They can't bring players from the bench and make a difference.
07:46They have only a handful of players who are quality. The rest of them, I'm not degrading
07:52them. But they are below par. So, that made a huge difference. Still, you have to give
07:57credit to Morocco for the way they have formed. And they have kept the world champions at
08:03bay for almost 75 minutes. They were giving them nerve-wrecking moments. So, we have to
08:09give them credit. But France, they know how to cross the line. They are champions. They have the
08:13winning mentality. And if they can do that again, that will be historic, man. To win it again,
08:17back-to-back, that will be unbelievable.
08:20I think we clearly knew that Captain Sais had a problem when he was outrun by Giroud.
08:27Giroud doesn't run past anybody. But anyway, unlucky for Morocco. I mean, they had a lovely
08:33ovation at the end of the game when they went towards their fans. It was a prolonged one,
08:36in fact. And a deserved one. They have been the highlight of the World Cup. But it's not
08:40over for them. They have to play the third-place match against Croatia, which will be on Saturday.
08:45Sharm, how do you think? Do you think they've got enough in the tank to get the bronze medal?
08:49I mean, it's not really important anymore. But to say that they finished third in the World Cup
08:53will still be something for them to be proud of.
08:56I think they will go all out for a win, like you said. Nobody knows about the third place.
09:01But for them, it matters. Because they want to make a fist out of this tournament. Something
09:06to show that, okay. So, third place would do. But the thing is, like Shamsher said,
09:12they are an army of walking wounded now. Which is why they may not be able to put their best
09:16team out there. They wouldn't want to take chances with the wounded player or the injured
09:21player. Simply because some of them could be carrier-threatening if you turn them out of the
09:26pitch. So, I am not too sure how it might come against a team like Croatia there.
09:35But given the enthusiasm and the energy, I wouldn't be surprised if they come away with the
09:40third place finish.
09:43I think so as well. Shami, do you think? It's a good point you guys have made. I mean, obviously,
09:47they have got a lot of injuries now. And they haven't got that depth of quality which they can
09:52rely on to bring other players in to make up the numbers. But I think possibly, if they can play
09:58like they've been playing, I think they should be able to, in regulation time, beat Croatia by a
10:03couple of goals, I can see. Shamsher, how do you think, in their last game of this World Cup,
10:07how do you think they are going to get on?
10:09First of all, the third place game is like rubbish, man. Seriously.
10:17And moreover, even Unai, he got injured. I don't think he can play in the last game,
10:24like the third place game. That midfield will be very weak. Even Amala is injured.
10:28Amala came into the second half and he had to be substituted again.
10:32And then they will have only Amar Bah, the single man in the midfield. That's going to
10:36be a problem. When you look at Croatia, their midfield is their strength. And that could
10:41prove to be pivotal. And I think Croatia will nick it. But with the fans' support and everything,
10:46you never know. Morocco, they might have one last pop at it and finish third in the World Cup.
10:53But it's irrelevant, whatever it is.
10:56Yeah, I mean, that's the appetizer for the main game, which is on Sunday. It's going to be
10:59Argentina against France. It was the final, I think, probably the majority of people would
11:04have preferred to have seen Messi and Mbappé and, of course, all the other quality players involved.
11:10Sham, I mean, as long as these two teams go at each other, like we were saying before we
11:14came on here, if there's an early goal, it'll really help make this final much more interesting.
11:18Because otherwise, like most finals, they're very cagey affairs. There's obviously so much
11:22at stake. Neither side wants to make any kind of mistake. So we could be seeing a very,
11:29well, not boring or dull, but very cagey affair,
11:32at least for the first half, unless there's an early goal. How do you see the final going on
11:36Sunday? I mean, I'm not going to say it. I think it might be a boring match. I mean,
11:43it's simply because both of them wouldn't want to take any chances. Argentina want to win more
11:48than anybody. Messi want to win more than anybody. France would want to make history by being the
11:54first team to defend the world title after Brazil in, say, 1962. So, so much at stake here. So,
12:01both of them would be just circling in the ring rather than trying to land the first blow.
12:06But I hope, like in the Morocco match, if there's a goal in the first 10 minutes, exactly like you
12:13said, if there's a goal in the first 10 minutes, then the chase begins. Then the match opens up.
12:19And I hope that happens. If that doesn't happen, we're going to see some defensive football. We're
12:23going to see some boring football. And both are not even scared to push the match into a tiebreaker.
12:30Because for them, winning matters most. It's not how you win. And also, if you look at both the
12:36teams, they have not been playing at their best. I mean, you take away Messi, Argentina is subpar.
12:42And France has been just flashes of brilliance here and there. And I mean, they're just showing
12:48that that is enough for them to win. So, I hope a goal comes in the first 10 minutes. Otherwise,
12:54it's going to be a snoozefest. Absolutely. I mean, Shamsuri, that's exactly what happens
12:59in tournament football. You have the most exciting games earlier on. Because you know,
13:02you've got a chance to regain some points if you've tried something different, which hasn't
13:07worked out. But now, in the semi-final and the final, particularly, like Shamsuri says, like I've
13:11also said, it could be a very dull game. But you being an Argentine and a Messi fan, you're obviously
13:16hoping it to be a bit more of an explosive game. How do you think it will be? For that instance,
13:21I think the third-place game will be more entertaining. So, there's nothing to lose.
13:28And when it comes to the final, yeah, it's going to be cagey, 100 percent. It has to be like that
13:35because nerves, nerves. And you don't know what and all. It'll be like, you know, like what Shams
13:42said, the pressure will be like immense. Immense pressure. France… I never thought that France
13:48will reach the finals. Yes, I thought, you know, they will have a good tournament. But still,
13:53with all the injuries they had, like they lost Benzema, the Ballon d'Or winner. They lost
13:59Pogba and Kante and Kimpembe and Nkuku. And all these players, they have lost so many talented
14:05players. But even then, they have reached the final. That shows the depth in the score and
14:10the managers' nose to win football games. And even in yesterday's game, you know, I was really
14:16impressed with the Shams' tactics, especially the in-game management. That's what you need in
14:22tournament football. You know, when that right-hand side of Morocco was like taking full
14:26advantage, you know, he brought in Thuram, the son of the great Thuram. And there's a history
14:33about Thuram also. He has scored in the semi-finals in 1998 against Croatia when they were trailing
14:39for a goal. And the son came and he made an impact. Because he took Giroud off and put Mbappe
14:45in the right, in the middle. Because Mbappe was not tracking back. Thuram was tracking back. And
14:50he gave that extra defensive nose to Theo Hernandez. And that proved to be pivotal. So,
14:56those kind of things, the in-game management. And the substitute came in, like Koulomovani,
15:01he scored in 44 seconds. See, those kind of things, you know, the manager has to brag about
15:05all these decisions. So, that nose. That, you know, how to get it done. That thing is with the Shams.
15:12And I fear Argentina might be feeling that. And that could be the major difference maker. I think
15:19the Shams' fans have the edge, as far as I'm concerned. Yes, Caglioni's team will be playing
15:26out and they have been versatile throughout the tournament. Messi has been playing magical
15:32football. But the France's know-how to cross the line could be pivotal. That's what I believe.
15:38Could be. But I think just from what we saw from Messi's assist for that third goal, it looks like
15:43he's the Messi of 10 years ago. And it will be an incredible story. You know, this is his last
15:48World Cup. He's 35. He's already said he's not going to be playing anymore. He's won everything
15:52there is in the game to win, apart for the World Cup. It will be a tremendous story. I think we
15:57all secretly hope that it is him that manages to do it on a personal level, just for him.
16:02Shams is crossing his fingers clearly there. It'll be great. But like we've all said, an early goal
16:07would be great. That'd be nice to see. Anyway, that's all from us for today. We'll be back on
16:11Saturday to see how the third place game goes. And then we'll be back for the final. In the
16:15meantime, head to golfnews.com for all the latest news and reviews. And check us out on our social
16:19media channel. Thanks to Shams, and thanks to Shams here, and we shall see you again soon.