The Cinderella run for Morocco came to an end on Wednesday, as France edged the surprising semifinalists 2-0 at Al Bayt Stadium to reach their second consecutive World Cup final.
That sets up a scintillating meeting with Argentina in Sunday’s final, as Les Bleus attempt to become the first team since Brazil to successfully retain the World Cup.
For Morocco, it’s a brutal conclusion to a remarkable tournament, but it can hold its head high after a hard-fought contest against the world champions.
Here are three winners and three losers from Wednesday’s semifinal.
WINNERS
Antoine Griezmann
Four years ago, Antoine Griezmann was one of France’s leading scorers with four goals while leading the line.
It’s been a different story in 2022. Griezmann has been revitalized in a box-to-box midfield role, yet his influence is still strong. He might be scoring with regularity, but the 31-year-old leads all players in open-play expected assists (xA) and is tied for fourth in open-play chances created with eight, per Opta.
Griezmann’s playmaking abilities and spacial interpretation led to France’s opening goal. The Atlético Madrid star began the match occupying the right half-space with right winger Ousmane Dembele hugging the touchline. This led to Griezmann dropping deep to collect a pass from Raphael Varane, slipping past Jawad El Yamiq and forcing Morocco into last-ditch defending to no avail.
In total, Griezmann had three key passes, 21 of 26 completed passes, two interceptions, two tackles and an astounding nine recoveries, highlighting his defensive work rate.
The rebirth of Griezmann has been one of the revelations of this World Cup and it’ll be fascinating to see it play out on Sunday.
Ibrahima Konate
If it wasn’t for Ibrahima Konate, France would’ve been sent home and it’s not hyperbole to say that.
The Liverpool defender, who replaced the flu-stricken Dayot Upamecano, was imperious at the back. For nearly an hour, Konate had little support with Theo Hernandez bombing forward from left-back, Kylian Mbappe barely tracking back and Youssouf Fofana occupying a more central role. Normally, the left-sided central midfielder is tasked with protecting that wing but clearly coach Didier Deschamps wanted more cover in the half spaces.
Nonetheless, Konate was shutting down space all evening. He racked up two blocks, two recoveries, four clearances and five interceptions while passing his way through Morocco’s high press.
This was Konate’s first appearance since France’s group-stage finale against Tunisia and his third game of the tournament. Talk about clutch.
Azzedine Ounahi
Even in defeat, Azzedine Ounahi was the star for Morocco in its first-ever semifinal.
Despite having to fulfill two entirely different roles during the game, the 24-year-old was up to the challenge. Coach Walid Regragui opted for a double pivot in midfield with Ounahi and Sofyan Amrabat, who were stretched by having to cover all that ground without the usual third midfielder to help them.
But Ounahi was still cooking. The Angers midfielder glided forward with the ball through France’s midfield, connected play excellently and set up a few quality chances while still tracking back to ensure Morocco had a fighting chance at 1-0 down.
Ounahi often combined with Hakim Ziyech and Achraf Hakimi on the right flank to exploit the open space vacated by Hernandez and Mbappe, as evidenced by the pass map below.
But Ounahi was equally comfortable weaving his way through pressure on the dribble, completing all three of his attempts.
It’s almost certain that Angers, currently battling relegation in Ligue 1, will field bids for Ounahi in January. Not only would a sale enable Angers to replenish the squad, the Moroccan midfielder would get to perform on a bigger stage at club level. It’s a win-win all around.
LOSERS
Walid Regragui
Take nothing away from the miracle that Walid Regragui has overseen at the World Cup.
Regragui successfully reintegrated Noussair Mazraoui and Hakim Ziyech into the squad after they were outcasted by previous coach Vahid Halilhodzic on two months’ notice, guided the nation to its first quarterfinal and advanced to the semifinals, a first for an African country.
Did we mention that Regragui has only coached nine games, too?
It’s been a monumental four months, to say the least.
However, he does bear some responsibility for the loss.
Counting on the fitness of Romain Saiss, Nayef Aguerd – who was withdrawn from the lineup in warmups as he was deemed unfit to play – and Noussair Mazraoui was a huge gamble. Obviously the historical significance plays a role considering the former two have Premier League experience and a combined 98 caps. Mazraoui is a Bayern Munich regular with 20 appearances to his name at 25 years old. It’s fair for a coach to lean on big-game players, even if they only last until halftime, like Mazraoui.
But Aguerd couldn’t even get through warmups. Saiss was clearly struggling to keep pace with Olivier Giroud, a telltale sign for any defender that they’re likely incapable of playing, and had to be substituted out after 20 minutes.
Plus, by starting Saiss and replacing Nayef Aguerd with Achraf Dari, who was admittedly impressive given the circumstances, Regragui sacrificed a midfielder in its vaunted trio that guided Morocco to this stage.
Moving to three at the back and two midfielders worked in the second half against Portugal in the quarterfinals. But it was evident that Griezmann, Aurelien Tchouameni and Kylian Mbappe were running rampant, and that was always going to be the outcome.
Player-related issues like Ziyech failing to track back for France’s first goal doesn’t help, but it might have been moot if Regragui didn’t persist with Saiss and used a third midfielder.
Coaches routinely make bold decisions, many of which pay off like Lionel Scaloni using four midfielders against Croatia. This is one that blew up in Regragui’s face.
Moroccan forwards
Sometimes execution is the true downfall of the losing team, regardless of the coach’s decisions. This was one of those occasions.
Morocco responded very well after conceding early. It was the first time it trailed in the tournament, yet the composure it displayed before controlling the vast majority of the final hour was noteworthy.
The expected goals (xG) don’t do Morocco justice because there were several whiffed shots, last-ditch challenges and a few hesitant Moroccan forwards when they had opportunities to shoot.
Therein lies the true architect of Morocco’s downfall and France’s triumph. One side was ruthless and converted its chances. The other failed to do so. It was deja vu from Saturday’s quarterfinal between England and France.
César Ramos
The Mexican referee made some questionable decisions. For starters, not booking a few players for reckless tackles that stopped some promising counter-attacks for both sides.
Perhaps the most egregious sequence involved Hernandez and Sofiane Boufal. It’s arguable that the French defender fouled Boufal in the box, therefore a penalty should’ve been awarded.
Even if Ramos missed the initial foul, the VAR officials could’ve caught it.
For the sake of everyone’s sanity, from fans to media and the teams involved, let’s hope that Sunday’s final doesn’t involve controversial refereeing.
