{"id":4680,"date":"2026-07-10T07:03:58","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T07:03:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4680"},"modified":"2026-07-10T07:03:58","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T07:03:58","slug":"les-bleus-on-the-threshold-of-reliving-a-world-cup-dream-after-dispatching-morocco-in-quarterfinals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4680","title":{"rendered":"Les Bleus on the threshold of reliving a World Cup dream after dispatching Morocco in quarterfinals"},"content":{"rendered":"
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FOXBOROUGH \u2014 Nobody thought they\u2019d ever win it until they won it in 1998. Even playing at home, the challenge France\u2019s soccer team faced, L\u2019\u00c9quipe\u2019s headline said, was like climbing \u201cEverest in espadrilles.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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So when Les Bleus blanked defending champion Brazil to hoist the World Cup for the first time they thought it was \u201cPour L\u2019\u00c9ternit\u00e9.\u201d Once you\u2019d reached the summit in straw shoes did you have to scale it again?<\/span><\/p>\n

Across the decades the French have been whipsawed between le <\/i>r\u00eave <\/i>(the dream) and le cauchemar<\/i> (the nightmare) when it comes to la Coupe du Monde.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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They\u2019ve lived the dream twice now, winning again in 2018. They\u2019ve been jarred awake by the nightmare twice, too, losing the final to Italy in 2006 and Argentina in 2022, both times in penalty shootouts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now the dream is within reach again after France smothered Morocco, 2-0, in Thursday afternoon\u2019s quarterfinal to advance to next week\u2019s semifinal.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s confirmation for us of what we have displayed so far,\u201d said coach Didier Deschamps, whose squad will face Friday\u2019s Spain-Belgium victor.<\/span><\/p>\n

The French, who beat the Atlas Lions by the same score four years ago in the semifinals, knew that they\u2019d have to sweat again for this one.<\/span><\/p>\n

After their earlier dismissals of Senegal, Iraq, Norway and Sweden, when they were scoring goals in triplicate, Les Bleus had to go 70 minutes with Paraguay in the round of 16 before Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 scored on a penalty.<\/span><\/p>\n

They knew Morocco would be at least as tough a nut to crack. In the knockout rounds four years ago, the Atlas Lions eliminated Spain (in a shootout) and Portugal with keeper Yassine Bounou posting a pair of clean sheets.<\/span><\/p>\n

This time, they drew with Brazil in their group opener, and expelled the Dutch in a shootout. But with star striker Ismael Saibari sidelined with a hamstring injury, the Moroccans essentially were performing on one leg against France. \u201cWe left them no chance to be dangerous to us,\u201d Deschamps said.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Yet Les Bleus still had to score and when Bounou blocked Mbapp\u00e9\u2019s penalty bid in the 28th minute, the gasp could be heard from Calais to Casablanca.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Atlas Lions managed to hang in for an hour until France deftly cracked them like a clay couscous pot with two goals in a half dozen minutes.<\/span><\/p>\n

The first came from Mbapp\u00e9, who saw an opening no longer than a baguette between a defender and the right post and hammered the ball through it in the 60th.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Then he fed fleet sidekick Ousmane Demb\u00e9l\u00e9, who went with authority to the far corner in the 66th and France was through to the final four.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cWe have to recognize that it\u2019s a great team.\u201d said Moroccan coach Mohamed Ouahbi. \u201cWe have to accept this defeat.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The expectation among their bleu-blanc-rouge countrymen is that France always will play in the final. In 1998, when Deschamps was captain, he said that winning the Cup would be a bonus. The Brazilians, who\u2019d won four by then, felt otherwise and were devastated to lose.<\/span><\/p>\n

Once the dream has been made real it no longer can remain a dream. Anything less than another trophy is a letdown. What Les Bleus have come to understand is that l\u2019eternite means that the expectations are eternal as well. <\/span><\/p>\n

When Brazil and Germany departed early from this tournament the question from their disillusioned and disgusted followers was the same. What the hell happened?<\/span><\/p>\n

That would have been the reaction back home had France fallen to Morocco. Matches against former colonies always are particularly stressful.<\/span><\/p>\n

The French lost to newbie Senegal in their 2002 opener when they came in as reigning champions and went three-and-out after a loss to Denmark. \u201cWho let the Frogs out?\u201d tipsy Danish fans sang.<\/span><\/p>\n

Last time France was shut out by Tunisia in their group finale, and Les Bleus had to work hard against Senegal in their opener this time. Beating Morocco was an absolute imperative.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now that the French again are two victories from the Cup, it\u2019s an occasion for the familiar Gallic inquietude. Spain edged them, 2-1, in the European semifinals two years ago and went on to win the championship. Argentina, of course, broke French hearts last time.<\/span><\/p>\n

Related: <\/span><\/span>More World Cup coverage<\/div>\n

What if it\u2019s England in the final and not Argentina? The French can\u2019t imagine losing to a country that overcooks its roast beef.<\/span><\/p>\n

And now that they\u2019ve got a third trophy in sight, they can\u2019t imagine losing at all. \u201cThe players understand that being on the team is a duty,\u201d Deschamps said.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The dream is within reach again after France smothered Morocco, 2-0, in Thursday afternoon\u2019s quarterfinal to advance to next week\u2019s semifinal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4679,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4680","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport"],"yoast_head":"\nLes Bleus on the threshold of reliving a World Cup dream after dispatching Morocco in quarterfinals - Boston Relocation Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4680\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Les Bleus on the threshold of reliving a World Cup dream after dispatching Morocco in quarterfinals - 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