Morocco vs France, Round Two: Atlas Lions Get Their Shot at Revenge in Boston
The World Cup has served up the rematch Africa has waited four years for: Morocco versus France, Thursday in Boston, with a semi-final place at stake — and a score from Qatar 2022 to settle.
It was France who ended Morocco's fairytale in that semi-final four years ago, Theo Hernandez striking in the fifth minute before Randal Kolo Muani sealed a 2-0 win at Al Bayt Stadium. That night marked the furthest any African side had ever gone at a World Cup. This time, Morocco arrive not as a romantic story but as what their coach calls 'a major contender' — the first African nation to reach the quarter-finals at consecutive tournaments.
The evidence supports the billing. Morocco dismantled co-hosts Canada 3-0 in the round of 16 with a performance of complete control, Azzedine Ounahi's double showcasing a side that has added attacking sophistication to its trademark tactical discipline. Unbeaten through the tournament, they held Brazil in the group stage and have looked entirely at home in the latter rounds.
France, though, are the tournament's most fearsome attacking force: five wins from five, 14 goals scored and only two conceded, with Kylian Mbappé's seven goals leading the charge alongside Ousmane Dembélé's four. Yet their narrow 1-0 win over Paraguay in the last 16 exposed frailties — a compact, physical opponent squeezed the space around Mbappé and Michael Olise and disrupted the rhythm France's attack depends on.
That is precisely the blueprint Morocco execute better than anyone, with one crucial upgrade: unlike Paraguay, they carry the attacking quality to punish the vulnerability they create. France chase a third consecutive final; Morocco chase history and redress. Boston on Thursday promises one of the quarter-finals of the tournament.
