Morocco World Cup Defeat France Quarter-Final Analysis

Morocco’s run ended Thursday evening in Foxborough. After saving a penalty from Kylian Mbappé in the first half, Yassine Bounou kept the Lions of the Atlas in the match for a long time. The French captain, however, opened the scoring around the hour mark, before Ousmane Dembélé doubled the lead six minutes later.

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In the international press, the verdict is almost unanimous. France dominated without needing to play their best match, while Morocco never managed to reproduce the attacking football shown in previous rounds.

Morocco judged too cautious

For Reuters, Morocco’s choice to play in a very cautious system ultimately backfired on Mohamed Ouahbi’s team. Brahim Diaz found himself isolated up front and the French midfield, led by Adrien Rabiot and Manu Koné, imposed its power and rhythm.

The British agency especially highlights the lack of offensive threat from the Lions of the Atlas. Morocco only managed one shot on target, very late in the match, when they were already down by two goals. The absence of Ismaël Saibari, who was injured, also deprived the team of a player capable of attacking spaces and pushing the block forward.

The Guardian believes Morocco resisted for an hour, notably thanks to Bounou’s interventions, before being suffocated by French pressing. According to the British newspaper, the Moroccans seemed mainly to be waiting for a potential penalty shootout, without managing to offer another solution when France finally scored.

The same severity from the Associated Press, which insists on the repetition of the 2022 scenario: another elimination against France, on the same 2-0 scoreline, and too few chances to really worry the Blues.

Bounou delays a France judged untouchable

The foreign press nevertheless notes the performance of Yassine Bounou. His save on Mbappé’s penalty and several decisive interventions prevented France from taking the lead quickly. But the Moroccan goalkeeper could not indefinitely resist the pressure.

In the Netherlands, NOS describes a French team "far too strong" for a Morocco that practically never managed to get a foothold in the match. The Dutch media presents Mbappé as the main culprit for Morocco’s elimination, despite his missed penalty.

In Spain, El País observes that the balance of the match definitively shifted after the break. France accelerated, Mbappé found the opening and Dembélé’s second goal immediately cut off any possibility of Moroccan comeback.

La Gazzetta dello Sport goes even further by presenting France as a team playing in "another category". The Italian newspaper insists on Manu Koné’s control, Mbappé’s decisive touch and Dembélé’s efficiency as soon as Morocco tried to venture further from their own half.

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The international press does not question the status acquired by Morocco after two consecutive runs among the world’s eight best teams. However, it considers that the Lions of the Atlas approached this quarter-final with too much restraint. Mohamed Ouahbi himself acknowledged French superiority, while calling on his team to analyze its limitations in an attempt to go even further at the 2030 World Cup hosted by Morocco, Spain and Portugal.