On Wednesday, France will play Morocco in the World Cup semifinals, with Lionel Messi’s Argentina waiting in the wings following yet another spectacular display from the little magician.
The seven-time winner of the Ballon d’Or will have the opportunity to cap up his career in style after the Copa America champions defeated the World Cup champions Croatia 3-0 on Tuesday.
current champions France is aware that a victory over unheralded Morocco would put them only one win away from being the first side to successfully defend the championship in 60 years.
At the Al Bayt Stadium, Didier Deschamps’ France are strong favourites to win, but they face a squad that has only given up once during their remarkable march to the semifinals.
Hugo Lloris, the captain of France, is anxious to prevent the squad from showing signs of complacency since they are accustomed to compete at the top of competitions.
“When a team is capable of beating Belgium, Spain and Portugal, and finish top of their group, it is because they have lots of quality on the field and undoubtedly off it too, in terms of cohesion and team spirit,” Lloris said.
To read our blog on “Lyari cheers Argentina with zeal after Messi’s World Cup brilliance,” click here