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.



Barcelona Increases Spanish League Lead by Beating Mallorca 1-0

Soccer Football - LaLiga - FC Barcelona v RCD Mallorca - Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, Barcelona, Spain - April 22, 2025 FC Barcelona's Dani Olmo scores their first goal REUTERS/Albert Gea
Soccer Football - LaLiga - FC Barcelona v RCD Mallorca - Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, Barcelona, Spain - April 22, 2025 FC Barcelona's Dani Olmo scores their first goal REUTERS/Albert Gea
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Barcelona Increases Spanish League Lead by Beating Mallorca 1-0

Soccer Football - LaLiga - FC Barcelona v RCD Mallorca - Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, Barcelona, Spain - April 22, 2025 FC Barcelona's Dani Olmo scores their first goal REUTERS/Albert Gea
Soccer Football - LaLiga - FC Barcelona v RCD Mallorca - Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, Barcelona, Spain - April 22, 2025 FC Barcelona's Dani Olmo scores their first goal REUTERS/Albert Gea

Dani Olmo scored early in the second half as Barcelona defeated Mallorca 1-0 to increase its Spanish league lead on Tuesday.
The home win gave the Catalan club a seven-point lead over Real Madrid, which visits Getafe on Wednesday. Barcelona, seeking its first league title since 2023, has five league games left.
Olmo's winner came a minute into the second half at Montjuic stadium, with the playmaker finding the net from inside the area, The Associated Press reported.
It was the third consecutive victory for Barcelona in the league. The Catalan side had 40 attempts on goal, while Mallorca had only four — none on target
“We created many scoring opportunities and we should have taken advantage of them, but that's soccer,” Barcelona midfielder Gavi said. “We can't always score easily. We insisted until we finally scored and that's what's important.”
Mallorca, which has only two wins from its last nine matches, stayed in seventh place.
Barcelona and Madrid will meet in the Copa del Rey final on Saturday in Seville.
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick made several changes to his starting lineup, with forward Ansu Fati making his first league start in nearly six months. Striker Robert Lewandowski was absent because of a muscle injury.
“We played a great match,” Gavi said. “I'm happy for the players who rotated and got to play.”
Earlier Tuesday, Espanyol's three-game winning streak ended with a 1-1 draw at Valencia, which has drawn two in a row after three straight victories.
The result left both teams tied on 39 points, though Espanyol has a game in hand. Valencia was in 14th place, just behind Espanyol.
Also Wednesday, Celta Vigo hosts fifth-place Villarreal, and Las Palmas visits fourth-place Athletic Bilbao. Relegation-threatened Alaves welcomes ninth-place Real Sociedad.
On Thursday, third-place Atletico Madrid hosts midtable Rayo Vallecano, while sixth-place Real Betis visits last-place Valladolid, which has lost 12 of its last 13 matches.