Morocco vs France – that’s also the direct clash between friends Kylian Mbappé and Achraf Hakimi. Both nations dream of the big goal, which is still two wins away.
A few days ago, Kylian Mbappé and Achraf Hakimi posed casually and smiling for a souvenir photo.
The two buddies and professionals from the Qatar club Paris Saint-Germain cheered up their millions of fans on social networks with little tips during the World Cup.
Only now is Wednesday, the big semi-final of world champions France against sensational team Morocco – and the two star players have to compete head-to-head.
“The half brothers”, wrote the French trade newspaper “L’Équipe” before the game on Wednesday (8:00 p.m. CET/MagentaTV and ZDF).
A video of the two in the empty Education City Stadium at the beginning of the year has been circulating on the Internet for the past few days. Mbappé and Hakimi fool around, the Frenchman practically predicts the game against each other. It will break his heart, but he has to “destroy” his friend, Mbappé said with a laugh. And Hakimi laughs too. As a right-back, the Moroccan will meet left winger Mbappé for practically the entire duration of the game. “He knows him better than I do,” said Morocco coach Walid Regragui. “He trains with him every day.”
PSG duo with leader qualities
Former Dortmund player Hakimi (24) moved to Paris in the summer of 2021, Mbappé (23) has been playing for PSG since 2017. Both missed the big goal of winning the Champions League together last season. In return, the Frenchman can become world champion with his home country for the second time in a row, a feat that only Brazil has managed so far in 1962. Hakimi is already recognized as the leader of the historically successful African team that made it to the semi-finals for the first time.
He did not develop any special tactical plans against the lightning-fast Mbappé, said Regragui. “To only focus on him would be a mistake.” The focus is on the big picture anyway. “We want to make history and put Africa at the top of the world,” said the 47-year-old. “If we were happy to be in the semi-finals, a lot of people would agree – but I wouldn’t. We’re in the top four and want to go to the final.”
“A Unique Opportunity”
It is a unique opportunity for “both teams to reach the final. Morocco also wants more,” said France captain and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. There is a chance for France to achieve something “very special”. “We are all aware of that.”
Thousands of Moroccan fans are expected to fly in at the Al-Bait Stadium north of Doha. Together with the supporters from Brazil and Argentina, the “best in the world,” said Regragui, who accepts the role of outsider. Basically, he doesn’t really care about her. “We’re hungry, I don’t know if that’s enough, but I hope so.”
The French world champions can expect a defensive battle for every millimeter of grass. “Hopefully we can find a solution,” said national team coach Didier Deschamps, who struggled with his team in the quarter-finals against England. The 54-year-old accepts the challenge of Morocco with a relaxed smile: “We will try to decipher it, create chances and score goals.”
Olivier Giroud (4 goals) and Mbappé (5) are the two top scorers of the tournament until the semi-finals. From the French point of view, however, the English had dangerously often managed to take Mbappé out of the game in particular. “Even if you are friends off the field, if you play at a World Cup and represent your country, that comes first,” said Lloris of the duel between Mbappé and Hakimi. “Then the competitive spirit takes over. It’s maybe more difficult to play against a team-mate because you know each other so well.”
The fact that Hakimi and Mbappé play at the Paris capital club, which is funded from Qatar, fits perfectly into the picture of this peculiar World Cup. Who do you think Head of State Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani is for? Basically, the Moroccans get massive support in the Arab world. It’s a kind of proxy love after the early exit of Tunisia, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
The special history between the Moroccans and France is added to this. Over a million people from the Moroccan diaspora in Europe live in France. After the victories in the previous knockout rounds, thousands celebrated in a number of European cities. The safety precautions are likely to be correspondingly high in some places.