FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — There are many connections and familiarity in the field. world cup Quarterfinals, France vs. Morocco.
At the 2022 tournament held in Qatar, France defeated Morocco in the semi-finals, making Atlas Lions the first African team to reach the final. France will aim to stay on track to become the third country to qualify for the finals in three consecutive World Cups.
But it’s more than that.
Morocco will be hoping to pull off an upset against favorites Les Bleus on Thursday, but the team has plenty of connections with their opponents.
Six Moroccan players were born in France: Ayyoub Bouadi (Senslis), Issa Diop (Toulouse), Nir El Ainaoui (Nancy), Redouin Harhar (Montpellier), Samir El Mourabe (Strausbourg) and Cessime Yassine (Salon de Provence).
Additionally, 19 of the 26 Moroccan players participating in the World Cup were born outside Morocco.
Morocco coach Mohamed Ouabi said it helped expand support for his country’s World Cup.
“We have a huge fan base internationally and we’re really proud of this. We have Moroccan fans all over the world, whether it’s Europeans, the diaspora or international Moroccans. They’re behind us,” he said. “They are supporting us. We feel the energy, the positive strength that they have generated for us. … In difficult moments, we are not alone, we should think about them. We are fighting for the whole country, the country. And that helped us get more.”
That connection extends to club play, with France captain Kylian Mbappé and midfielder Aurélien Choameny both playing alongside Moroccan midfielder Brahim Dias at Real Madrid.
Dias, who has already played a big role in Morocco’s progress so far with a team-high four assists, said this added an extra dimension to a matchup that carries a lot of weight.
“They are my teammates at Real Madrid. They are great players and great people,” Diaz said. “But (today) we are rivals. We both want to win and this is the most important concern, my team.”
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