World Cup 2022: Morocco’s dream is over as they are beaten by France in the semi-final

Even though the dream was over, there was only utter pride. Morocco lit up this World Cup with an astonishing run to the semifinals when the defending champions France ended any thoughts of a shock victory. Walid Regragui’s team had achieved history by becoming the first country from Africa and the Arab world to advance to this level of the contest, but they ultimately lost.

Morocco got off to the worst possible start when Theo Hernandez scored after just five minutes. Later, replacement Randal Kolo Muani added a second goal as France advanced to Sunday’s championship match against Argentina.

Regragui declared, “We offered everything and pulled out all the stops.” “It’s a significant accomplishment that we did give them trouble. “My guys demonstrated their talent while presenting a positive impression of the team. It is hard to accept that they tried to change history. “Hard work is the only way to win a World Cup; that is what we will continue to do.”

Morocco fans ‘have been fantastic’

The Souq Waqif in Doha had been overrun by Moroccan supporters earlier in the day. Fans from all the competing nations converge in this area of Qatar’s capital city, albeit it was unusual to see a France jersey on this particular day. The country’s flag carrier Royal Air Maroc added extra flights for the semifinal since a large number of Moroccans had tratraveledere.

Others sipped on native karKaraka while some were being interviewed by numerous TV and radio stations from across the world. As they smoked shisha all afternoon to calm their worries, the aroma of flavor-infused tobacco filled the air.

The little cluster of French fans behind the goal werwasgnificantly overwhelmed by their counterparts in red shirts, who were waving red flags, so the Al Bayt Stadium could have been mistaken for a home game in Casablanca.

PriBeforeckoff, the North African team’s supporters turned up the volume of their roar when the France teamsheet was announced, accompanied by those recrecognizableercing whistles that reverberated throughout the stadium.  The first time Morocco trailed at this World Cup, they were silenced barely five minutes into the match as left-back Hernandez converted, leaving fans watching in awe.

The crowd got up and resumed singing “Dima Maghreb (forever Morocco),” as they had done the entire tournament, but Kolo Muani struck out in the end. Former England defender Micah Richards stated on BBC One, “I’ve liked this. “This is one of my favfavoriterld Cup games. The crowd is outstanding, and the energy level has been through the roof.

“Morocco can be very proud of what they’ve done and achieved, and the effort that they’ve put in — not only tonight, but throughout the entire tournament,” the former England captain Alan Shearer said. “Their fans thoroughly enjoyed themselves and had a great time. Due to a lack of talent in the last third, their squad has just fallen short.

‘We rea realize made a great achievement’

The World Cup third-place play-off is referred to as the game that nobody wants to take part in. Try explaining that to the Moroccans. They have previously defeated European powerhouses Belgium, Spain, and Portugal, and a win over Croatia on Saturday at the Khalifa International Stadium will guarantee a completely unexpected third place.

 Before the game, former Southampton winger Sofiane Boufal and Sevilla striker Youssef En-Nesyri prayed together on the field, but a miracle didn’t happen. Morocco’s fans’ perfervid on-field success has won them an ad, admirers, around the world.

Post-game festivities, such as kissing their mothers in the seats or dancing with them on the field, have become very popular The Paris St. Germain player Achraf Hakimi was understandably disappointed, and a joyful Kylian Mbappe exchanged shirts with him and gave him a loving embrace. In the meantime, captain Romain Saiss, who left the field injured early in the game, made one final trip to the field while toting his son. He then looked around, wondering what may have been.

Morocco’s injury woes have cost them dearly; in addition to losing West Ham defender Nayef Aguerd pribeforeckoff, they also lost Bayern Munich full-back Noussair Mazraoui during halftime. Players eventually prostrated themselves for sujood (applause) in front of their supporters before leaving the platform.

Morocco supporter Mohammed, who comes from close to Rabat, told BBC Sport that “Saturday is what they term a losers’ game.” “We have accomplished the unexpected, so a third-place finish would mean the world to us. We are so pleased with withat these guys have accomplished for the supporters and the nation that there are no tears shed today.

Regragui also said “Perhaps it went a little too far. Physically, we fell short and had too many players who were just 60 or 70 percent fit, which has been the case for a few games now.

“We are aware that we accomplished much. We observed that everyone was pleased with us when we saw the photos in the press, on television, and all the media. We were hoping to maintain the dream of the Moroccan people, and we are disappointed.

“Although we believed we could have gone much further, true champions are determined by these minute things. “We have promoted African football and positively represented our nation. We were a continent’s ambassadors. Although people have always appreciated us, perhaps this time they will.”

The 2022 FIFA World Cup final will see France, the defending champions, taking against Argentina after a 2-0 victory over Morocco. Les Bleus took the lead early on owing to a defensive blunder, and they stayed firm at the back to keep their record spotless.

Morocco made some noise in the French area toward the conclusion of the first half and the start of the second, but with a late second goal from replacement Randal Kolo Muani, following brilliant work from Kylian Mbappe, It is difficult to contest that the reigning champions deserve a spot in the championship game. They simply know how to prevail.

The final score will give the impression that France easily defeated the underdogs, but that would be a gross distortion of the contest. They gained an early lead and added a late second thanks to Mbappe’s brilliant play, but Morocco was the superior team for large stretches of this game.

They had to take on a new role and keep the ball higher up the field to create, but they made the reigning champions uncomfortable and kept coming close to tying the score. Regragui might have regretted wearing the injured defenders today because Amallah had a better look at them in the 4-3-3 formation.