{"id":4616,"date":"2026-07-09T10:34:49","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T10:34:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4616"},"modified":"2026-07-09T10:34:49","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T10:34:49","slug":"france-morocco-rematch-could-be-the-most-intriguing-world-cup-quarterfinal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4616","title":{"rendered":"France-Morocco rematch could be the most intriguing World Cup quarterfinal"},"content":{"rendered":"<article>\n<div>\n<p><span>France coach Didier Deschamps spent most of his World Cup news conference on Wednesday fielding questions about a multitude of off-field issues, from racist remarks aimed at French star Kylian Mbapp\u00e9, to officiating concerns, to his own future.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4614\">Cheryl Reeve becomes WNBA\u2019s all-time coaching wins leader as Lynx defeat Sun<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span>Meantime, authorities in France are preparing for unrest related to the Thursday\u2019s quarterfinal clash with Morocco. Several thousand police officers are expected to be deployed across France after the 2022 World Cup semifinal between the North African nation and its former colonial ruler led to more than 250 arrests, many of them in Paris.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Even apart from those concerns, France-Morocco might be the most intriguing of the four quarterfinal matchups.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span>France beat Morocco 2-0 in the semifinals four years ago in Qatar. With a victory this time, France would continue its bid to become only the third country to reach the final of three successive World Cups, joining Germany and Brazil. Morocco was the first African team to make to a World Cup semifinal in 2022.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cWe met them four years ago in the semifinal. They also played in the African final. It is a really great, excellent team with top-notch individuals. They\u2019re not here to play. They\u2019re there to win,\u201d Deschamps said. \u201cThey like to attack to score goals. We have to be ready.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi said the Atlas Lions aren\u2019t satisfied just getting back to this point of the tournament.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI don\u2019t like this feeling where we can say what we\u2019ve done up until now is great and rest is bonus,\u201d Ouahbi said. \u201cNo, the only bonus is to win the World Cup.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Midfielder Brahim Diaz said Morocco\u2019s 3-0 win over Canada in the round of 16 was indicative of how the team needs to play.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cThis is our mentality,\u201d Diaz said. \u201cWe want to keep going. &#8230; Everybody wants to play in this type of game.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<h4>France\u2019s Olise carries yellow card into quarterfinals<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>One of France\u2019s key players may have to play with a little caution Thursday.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>France\u2019s appeal of midfielder Michael Olise\u2019s yellow card during its 1-0 round of 16 win over Paraguay was denied by FIFA on Wednesday.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cWe received FIFA\u2019s decision this morning that the yellow card was maintained,\u201d Deschamps said.<\/span><\/p>\n<div><span>Related<span>: <\/span><\/span>Beseiged referees have added to drama of World Cup\u2019s knockout stage<\/div>\n<p><span>Ouahbi said Morocco won\u2019t have midfielder Ismael Saibari, who left with a thigh injury against Canada.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4612\">Egyptian Football Association \u2018cannot remain silent\u2019 about officiating in loss to Argentina<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span>If Olise were to receive another yellow card on Thursday, he would be suspended for the next game.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Olise was shown the yellow in the 97th minute following an altercation with Paraguay\u2019s Mat\u00edas Galarza.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Galarza went to the ground during a skirmish between the players, though video replays only showed Olise grasping the Paraguayan\u2019s jersey before he toppled to the grass.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The appeal came after President Trump made a phone call last week to FIFA president Gianni Infantino to make the case that US striker Folarin Balogun should not have been suspended for Monday\u2019s matchup with Belgium because of a red card in the Americans\u2019 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina. FIFA lifted the suspension and cleared Balogun to play.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The decision ultimately didn\u2019t help the U.S., which was eliminated with a 4-1 loss to Belgium.<\/span><\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<h4>Deschamps and France try to ignore off-field controversies<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>On Monday, Mbapp\u00e9 condemned racist comments made by a Paraguayan senator following the loss to France. Deschamps described his star player\u2019s mood after the incident as focused.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cKylian is OK. Whatever happens, I don\u2019t want to look back and think about it again. He\u2019s a very strong guy mentally, physically. He\u2019s just focused on tomorrow\u2019s game,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Officiating questions arose after three French players received three yellow cards during the ill-tempered game against Paraguay, which was shown only one postgame yellow.<\/span><\/p>\n<div><span>Related<span>: <\/span><\/span>Here are five questions facing the US men\u2019s national team after a painful World Cup exit<\/div>\n<p><span>But Deschamps said his concern was minimal.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIt is out of our control,\u201d he said. \u201cI trust the refereeing. &#8230; Some refereeing decisions may lead to discussions. It really depends on everyone\u2019s opinion. Our opponent is Morocco, not the referee.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The 57-year-old Deschamps was also asked to ponder his own future; he plans to step down after the tournament. The captain of France\u2019s 1998 World Cup-winning squad has been its coach for the past 14 years and led France to the 2018 World Cup title.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cThe last game could have been the last one,\u201d he said. \u201cIn my head, with the technical staff, we want to win tomorrow. That\u2019s the objective. In a football game there are many possibilities when it comes to tomorrow\u2019s result. &#8230; I\u2019m focused on the Moroccan team so we can win that game.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4610\">Guide to the 2026 MLB Draft: When the Red Sox pick, local players to watch, and first-round order<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With a victory this time, France would continue its bid to become only the third country to reach the final of three successive World Cups, joining Germany and Brazil.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4615,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4616","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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