#预测世界杯法国VS摩洛哥 World Cup Quarterfinal France vs Morocco Preview: Difficulties Beyond the Opponent?
Beijing time July 10, the first quarterfinal of the World Cup begins, as France and Morocco, opponents from the previous semifinal, meet again. Will France continue their dominance, or will Morocco succeed in revenge?
The only meeting between the two teams was in the previous semifinal. At that time, Morocco had eliminated Spain and Portugal in the previous two knockout rounds, kept clean sheets in 4 of 5 matches, conceding only 1 goal, but could not withstand France's powerful attack, losing 0-2.
Four years later, Morocco is more mature and steady. France also shows the determination to bounce back after losing the final. In the round of 16, Morocco faced hosts Canada and did not quickly gain an advantage as imagined. In the first half, Canada was the more proactive side, while Morocco adopted a defensive strategy. In the second half, Morocco exerted a bit more effort to take the lead, then firmly controlled the game, ending with a big win. It should be said that Morocco's victory was more than just the scoreline. They secured the win with little exertion, early on watching from the sidelines, waiting for their quarterfinal opponent.
Although France also won, the difficulty was incomparable to Morocco's. Paraguay used a bus-parking defense and various fouls, forcing France unable to enter their comfortable game rhythm. The team that was expected to win smoothly couldn't break through for a long time, and the psychological pressure inevitably led to physical exhaustion. After the France vs Paraguay match, there was a lot of controversy. The general view was that the referee was too lenient with Paraguay's various physical contacts, but that's just the surface.
The deeper reasons, due to lack of direct evidence, will not be discussed. France's strong performance in this tournament has the momentum of "knowing shame and then being brave to reclaim lost territory." This momentum can keep them hungry for the game, without worrying about appearing in a senseless relaxed state like Brazil. Morocco will no longer be as naive as in the previous edition; their strategy against Canada is proof.
France is still the stronger side, but they won't win easily. As the dominant side, every aspect of their game will be repeatedly studied by the opponent, who will formulate countermeasures.
Relatively speaking, Morocco is in the shadows. They may not be as rough as Paraguay, but they must have absorbed the latter's experience and developed an upgraded defensive strategy. For example, Paraguay fouled French players throughout the match without receiving a single yellow card. Meanwhile, French players' protests against the fouls resulted in them receiving 3 yellow cards in total.
Can Morocco cause an upset? Of course they can, but hopefully in an indisputable way.
Since the new century, France has lost 6 matches in the World Cup (excluding penalty shootouts), with 3 of those losses coming at the hands of African teams. They have only defeated African opponents 4 times, showing no clear advantage.
