World Cup semifinals are usually meaningful and decisive. They drop hints about who the finalists might be and muster the strongest teams. For tomorrow’s game, France will be facing Morocco in a make-or-break match.
The last time France played Morocco was on Nov. 16, 2007, at the Stade de France. The final result of the game was a draw (2-2). The 6th match between the two squads will take place Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022. Morocco, on a winning streak, can still defeat France as it did Spain and Portugal.
No African or Arab team has ever advanced to the semifinals, but, this time, Morocco did it.
Both teams have encountered each other five times in the past. The first encounter was in 1988 during the Tournoi de France when France defeated Morocco (2-1).
The second was in May 1998 at the King Hassan II International Cup mini-tournament which was arranged as a preparatory exercise for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, where France won the mini-tournament (5-6), and won the World Cup a few weeks later.
The teams met again in Casablanca a year later in 1999, where the French squad won the duel (1-0). The French did it again in the third and last edition of the Moroccan friendly tournament (5-1). In 2000, Morocco lost to France (1-5).
However, things seem a bit different this time. Neither Spain nor Portugal managed to break the Moroccan barrier. Didier Deschamps has always concentrated on building a strong defense, but this time Morocco got an even stronger shield. The Moroccan team has conceded only one goal in five games, and it was against Canada when the ball took a deflection off Nayef Aguerd and finished in the net.
The whole African continent is behind Morocco, the first African country to qualify for a World Cup semifinals. All Africans, Arabs and Muslims are keeping their fingers crossed. If ever Morocco is the winner, it would be the first African nation to reach World Cup finals and would change the course of the African football history.