Ouahbi: “There Will Be No Surprises. We Have A Clear Plan To Hurt France”
France have looked strong for most of the World Cup. Their attack made the first four games look easy, but the last-16 tie against Paraguay was tougher. Les Bleus had to grind out a 1-0 win. That result took their competitive unbeaten run to 12 matches — 11 wins and 1 draw. Another win today would make it eight in a row and put them into a third straight World Cup semi-final, something only two other nations have done.
Didier Deschamps will also equal the record for 25 World Cup finals matches as coach. He knows it won’t be easy though. Three of France’s six defeats this century have come against African teams.
Morocco come into this game full of confidence after beating co-hosts Canada 3-0 in the Round of 16. They scored three goals from just four shots on target. The Atlas Lions have now gone unbeaten through their first five World Cup games twice, a record for an African nation.
They are also unbeaten in 10 matches since the AFCON final, with 7 wins and 3 draws. There’s extra motivation too. Morocco lost 2-0 to France in the 2022 semi-final in Qatar and will want revenge. If they win today they become only the second African team ever to reach the World Cup semi-finals.
Coach Mohamed Ouahbi was calm but ambitious in his pre-match press conference. He rejected talk of “bonuses” for reaching the quarter-finals. “The only bonus is winning the World Cup,” he said. Ouahbi admitted France are favorites, but insisted Morocco will not play with fear.
He said his team has a clear plan and will try to hurt France in possession, both on the wings and through the middle. He also confirmed that apart from Ismael Saibari, the whole squad is available.
Captain Achraf Hakimi sent the same message. “No matter who stands in front of us, it doesn’t matter. We have one goal and one dream — to win the World Cup. We’re confident and we believe we’ll make the nation proud,” he said.
On the French side, Didier Deschamps praised referee Letexier for his work in Argentina vs Egypt and said he hopes for the same standard today. “My opponent is Morocco, not the referee,” he added.
Head-to-head, France have the advantage. They are unbeaten in six meetings with Morocco, with 4 wins and 2 draws. The only competitive game was that 2-0 win in the 2022 World Cup semi-final.
With France chasing history and Morocco chasing redemption, this quarter-final promises to be a tight and intense battle.