Fear factor to fore as France march into semi-finals

France has inspired such awe since the start of the World Cup that ‌even Morocco, an attacking side brimming with talent and confidence, appeared beaten before their quarter-final had begun on Thursday. Morocco would have needed a boldness bordering on arrogance to go toe-to-toe with France, but instead abandoned the exhilarating attacking style that had made them ​one of the tournament’s most compelling teams. Their 4-5-1 formation, with Brahim Diaz isolated up front, signalled caution. ​Few teams would choose to trade blows with France, whose pace in transition has ⁠been unmatched throughout the competition, and they have now scored 16 goals – eight from Kylian Mbappe and five ​for Ousmane Dembele. But Morocco did more than manage the risk. They returned to the defensive resolve that carried them ​to the semi-finals in 2022, placing their faith in goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. Bounou, known as Bono, saved a weak Mbappe penalty in the 28th minute, but Morocco’s approach was always likely to fail as France patiently worked the ball around the edge of the ​area. After talking the talk, saying they were here to win the World Cup, Morocco did not walk the walk. “In ​the spells when we did not have the ball and let them keep it, we felt they were not dangerous and ‌that ⁠we had nothing to fear from that team, ” France midfielder Adrien Rabiot said. “That was the feeling we had on the pitch. ” Curled effort Morocco’s first shot on target came six minutes from time, by which point Mbappe’s curled effort and Dembélé’s low drive had settled the match. The two-goal margin did not fully reflect the gap between the sides. Rabiot ​and Manu Kone bossed the ​midfield, while Morocco’s Ayyoub ⁠Bouaddi struggled to impose himself and lost possession too often under France’s pressure. “We knew they could have scored earlier. We would have liked to hold out a little ​longer without conceding, to see how France would react, “ said Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi. “I ​told the ⁠players that they needed to go in with their heads high. ” Strikingly, that was not the case. France advanced to a third successive World Cup semi-final, where they will face Belgium or Spain. Spain has yet to concede at the tournament and ⁠would ​offer Didier Deschamps’ side another formidable test. “There can be no let-up, ” ​said Mbappe, who was substituted in the 77th after feeling a slight pain in his ankle. “There is still a long way to go, and ​what lies ahead will be even tougher, but we will recover well. ”

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