Coach Mohamed Ouahbi stated on Thursday that Morocco will refrain from indulging in premature accolades on their World Cup journey prior to their quarter-final match against France, emphasizing that any evaluation will occur at the tournament’s conclusion.
The match on Friday is a rematch of the 2022 World Cup semi-final, in which France defeated Morocco. What you have accomplished thus far is remarkable—a remarkable journey in Qatar. However, this time, the North Africans are not the unexpected underdogs but a self-assured team aspiring for the championship. “We will evaluate at the conclusion of the tournament,” Ouahbi stated during a press conference. I shall refrain from commenting currently, as we may have other information. We will not heed those who proclaim, “What you have accomplished thus far is remarkable.”What you have accomplished thus far is remarkable. “France is the favourite, but we will make every effort to secure victory tomorrow and qualify for the semi-finals,” Ouahbi stated. I dislike the mentality that ‘we have performed adequately to reach this point, and everything beyond is a mere bonus’. The incentive is to secure victory in the World Cup. This is our progress thus far, and we shall advance further.
France, the 2018 world winners and 2022 finalists, narrowly defeated Paraguay in the round of 16 with a contentious 1-0 victory, secured by a penalty from Kylian Mbappe. The captain of France has netted seven goals in the competition, placing second to Argentina’s Lionel Messi, who has scored eight.
Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise, and Bradley Barcola constitute one of the most formidable attacking lineups ever witnessed in the World Cup.
Morocco advanced effortlessly through the group round, subsequently eliminating the Netherlands and co-host Canada, thereby establishing themselves as formidable title contenders. “It is not a matter of assets,” Ouahbi stated. The Moroccan team is developing, just as France is. The essential principle is to engage in the match without remorse. Improvements are necessary for tomorrow. We must perform at 2,000% and improve on our previous efforts.
