France v Morocco: Keys to World Cup Semi-final

FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Quarter Final - Morocco v Portugal - Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, Qatar - December 10, 2022 Morocco's Achraf Dari and Morocco's Walid Cheddira celebrate after the match as Morocco progress to the semi finals REUTERS/Carl RecineRead less
FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Quarter Final - Morocco v Portugal - Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, Qatar - December 10, 2022 Morocco's Achraf Dari and Morocco's Walid Cheddira celebrate after the match as Morocco progress to the semi finals REUTERS/Carl RecineRead less
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France v Morocco: Keys to World Cup Semi-final

FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Quarter Final - Morocco v Portugal - Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, Qatar - December 10, 2022 Morocco's Achraf Dari and Morocco's Walid Cheddira celebrate after the match as Morocco progress to the semi finals REUTERS/Carl RecineRead less
FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Quarter Final - Morocco v Portugal - Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, Qatar - December 10, 2022 Morocco's Achraf Dari and Morocco's Walid Cheddira celebrate after the match as Morocco progress to the semi finals REUTERS/Carl RecineRead less

Morocco have conceded just one goal in the entire tournament -- an own goal in their 2-1 win over Canada in the group stage -- with Croatia, Belgium, Spain and Portugal all failing to breach a rock-solid back line.

But France boast multiple goal threats. Kylian Mbappe and Olivier Giroud have scored nine goals between them and Ousmane Dembele and Antoine Griezmann will also ask plenty of questions, AFP said.

Morocco have a number of fitness concerns in their defense -- center-back Nayef Aguerd missed the Portugal game with a muscle injury and his regular partner, Romain Saiss, was substituted with a repeat of a hamstring injury.

Whoever Walid Regragui is able to send out will have to be fully switched on -- France showed against England that even if Mbappe is neutralized there are plenty of other sources of danger.

- France wary of counter-attacks -It is likely that France will enjoy plenty of possession in the Moroccan half but they will have to guard against swift counter-attacks.

Morocco's style is direct and while they tend to focus on the flanks, with Hakim Ziyech on the right and Sofiane Boufal on the left, they can also go long to striker Youssef En-Nesyri and then scamper forward in support.

France's full-backs Jules Kounde and Theo Hernandez can expect a busy night, while Morocco will look to take advantage of any slip-ups from center-half Dayot Upamecano, who had some shaky moments against England.

"We are well aware of their qualities, even if they don't often have possession," said Kounde. "They are very efficient with the ball, they try to combine quickly and find their wide players."

- Do Morocco have the legs? -Morocco spent a huge amount of energy in their wins against Spain and Portugal and with some players carrying injuries, Wednesday's game will be a real test of their durability and stamina.

The match against Spain went to penalties while they faced a frantic second half against Portugal.

France, in contrast, have been able to take care of their knockout games without any extra-time and should be much fresher.

Didier Deschamps' men will seek to exploit their fitness advantage by making Morocco work hard without the ball, switching play and forcing Regragui's team to chase the ball, especially in the early stages.

- Lions roared on -France have fewer injury concerns and more attacking weapons but Morocco will have the crowd behind them at the Al Bayt Stadium, urging them to pull off another upset.

The African side, known as the Atlas Lions, have been one of the best-supported teams in Qatar and they will benefit from huge backing on Wednesday as the first Arab team to reach the semi-finals of a World Cup.



African Players in Europe: Marmoush, Sarr Strike in FA Cup Wins

Manchester City's Egyptian striker #07 Omar Marmoush (C) shoots to score their second goal during the English FA Cup quarter-final football match between Bournemouth and Manchester City at the Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth, on the south coast of England on March 30, 2025. (AFP)
Manchester City's Egyptian striker #07 Omar Marmoush (C) shoots to score their second goal during the English FA Cup quarter-final football match between Bournemouth and Manchester City at the Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth, on the south coast of England on March 30, 2025. (AFP)
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African Players in Europe: Marmoush, Sarr Strike in FA Cup Wins

Manchester City's Egyptian striker #07 Omar Marmoush (C) shoots to score their second goal during the English FA Cup quarter-final football match between Bournemouth and Manchester City at the Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth, on the south coast of England on March 30, 2025. (AFP)
Manchester City's Egyptian striker #07 Omar Marmoush (C) shoots to score their second goal during the English FA Cup quarter-final football match between Bournemouth and Manchester City at the Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth, on the south coast of England on March 30, 2025. (AFP)

Egyptian Omar Marmoush and Senegalese Ismaila Sarr scored to help Manchester City and Crystal Palace secure FA Cup semi-finals places at the weekend.

Marmoush netted his fifth goal for City since a January move from Eintracht Frankfurt, scoring the winner in a 2-1 victory over Bournemouth.

Back in England after Africa Cup of Nations qualifying duty, Sarr put Palace two goals ahead en route to a 3-0 London derby victory at Fulham.

Here, AFP Sport highlights African headline-makers in the FA Cup and major European leagues:

ENGLAND

OMAR MARMOUSH (Manchester City)

He came off the bench to send City into the semi-finals with the second-half winner at Bournemouth. Pep Guardiola's side, who will face Nottingham Forest at Wembley in April, trailed to Evanilson's first-half strike in the quarter-final. Erling Haaland levelled in the 49th minute before Marmoush netted in the 63rd minute as he took Nico O'Reilly's flick and fired past Kepa Arrizabalaga.

ISMAILA SARR (Crystal Palace)

Sarr helped the Eagles reach the semi-finals with the second goal in their victory at Fulham. Eberechi Eze put Palace ahead in the first half before Sarr struck in the 38th minute. Eze skipped down the left and whipped an inch-perfect cross to Sarr, who evaded his marker and headed past Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno for his ninth goal in all competitions this season. Palace will play Aston Villa in the semi-finals as they look to reach the final for the first time since 2016.

SPAIN

PATHE CISS (Rayo Vallecano)

Senegalese midfielder Ciss produced a brilliant header to put Vallecano ahead against Alaves in their 2-0 win. The 31-year-old made a darting run to the near post and flashed a header across goal and into the top corner. It was his third goal of the season in La Liga and he is playing an important role in Rayo's push for European football.

ITALY

ZITO LUVUMBO (Cagliari)

The 23-year-old Angola winger, in his fifth season at Cagliari, scored in injury time of his team's 3-0 win over rock-bottom Monza to help ease relegation fears. Cagliari are now six points above the Serie A drop zone. Gianluca Gaetano, who had scored the second goal, created the opportunity for Luvumbo with a long over-the-top through ball.

GERMANY

AMINE ADLI, VICTOR BONIFACE (Bayer Leverkusen)

Nigerian Boniface and Moroccan Adli scored in the second half as defending Bundesliga champions Leverkusen came from behind to win 3-1 at home to relegation-threatened Bochum. Boniface converted a cross with his knee on 60 minutes and Adli slid the ball into the net with three minutes of regular time remaining.

ELIAS SAAD (St Pauli)

Tunisian Saad temporarily silenced supporters of league leaders Bayern Munich by equalizing midway through the first half of a match his club eventually lost 3-2 to lie three points above the relegation zone. Saad moved unnoticed into the Bayern area and tapped the ball into the net.

FRANCE

ABDOULAYE TOURE (Le Havre)

The Guinea midfielder scored a pair of first-half penalties as Le Havre beat Nantes 3-2 to end an eight-match winless run at home and boost their Ligue 1 survival hopes. Toure, who started both of his nation's World Cup qualifiers this month, is his club's top scorer this season with seven goals after netting four times in the past three games.