- France’s Formidable Performance Sets Stage for Quarterfinal Clash
- Kadidiatou Diani Shines as France’s Prolific Attack Overwhelms Morocco
- Morocco’s Strategic Investment and Professional Leagues Lead to Promising Future
Now may be an excellent time to begin purchasing French stocks. It was a bitterly cold night on Australia’s southern coast, and as France dispatched the last African representatives in the World Cup, their movements exhibited the devastating indifference of a team beginning to move through the gears with precision.
Their quarterfinal against the co-hosts in Brisbane on Saturday morning promises to be one of the tournament’s defining games, a tantalizing collision of Aussie guts and French guile, a gourmet feast of titanic battles: Sam Kerr against Wendie Renard, Caitlin Foord against ve Périsset, Eugénie Le Sommer against whoever has the misfortune of trying to figure out where Eugénie Le Sommer is going.
And in the indomitable Kadidiatou Diani, France possesses arguably the best center forward of the tournament thus far: a creative as well as goal-scoring threat, a player whose speed, work rate, efficiency, and comprehension of space exemplify this team at its best. She scored the opening goal and assisted the subsequent two. Le Sommer contributed two goals, and while Morocco can be proud of their progress to this stage. They will be somewhat disappointed with how easily they let France in.
Thus, there are no alarms, no surprises, and very little complacency.
Hervé Renard, their coach, knows more than most about the dangers of an underdog African team. Renard stunned everyone by leading Zambia at the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations and Morocco at the 2018 World Cup. And in a sense, something similar may be occurring here: the melding and shaping of a squad that was riven by internal strife in the lead-up to this tournament and was widely written off as a result.
The corresponding 4-4-2 formations complemented France’s superior individual ability flawlessly, resulting in numerous one-on-one encounters on the pitch. And because Renard was able to rest players for France’s final group game, perhaps there was also a disparity in energy levels, as Morocco appeared somewhat fatigued after their titanic efforts against South Korea and Colombia. The aggressive counter-pressing that allowed them to control those games was a little less effective this time around.
Nevertheless, it is unclear who will be able to stop France if they decide to slash their way through. Sakina Karchaoui crossed for Diani’s goal after exchanging passes with Selma Bacha down the left flank. France has been the most prolific crossing team in this tournament, and once again their wingers and full-backs who overlapped gave them numerous options on the flanks. Grace Geyoro controlled the midfield, took the ball under pressure, and helped the team succeed.
After Diani’s improvised flick, Aston Villa’s Kenza Dali hit the post with the return pass off the right.
The third goal came after Nesryne El Chad let a long ball ricochet and cleared it at Diani. The ball was precisely placed for Le Sommer’s goal. France led 3-0 after 23 minutes, but Renard looked as if he had lost his Gucci sunglasses off a boat.
But Morocco would not capitulate as they had in their first match against Germany. Reynald Pedros, their French coach, pressed the lines in the second half to limit Le Sommer’s space. A few half-openings were created on the breakaway. At this juncture, however, France’s primary concern was avoiding injuries and suspensions. Vicki Bècho carved out a little space on the right flank in the 70th minute, curling a demonic cross around the back of the Moroccan defense and finding the head of Le Sommer at the far post.
Four-nil, then, but a historic debut World Cup campaign for Morocco, who overcame a 6-0 loss to Germany to qualify for the last 16 against all odds. And if Nigeria and South Africa have demonstrated how exceptional player groups can bond and gel despite administrative dysfunction, then Morocco offers a different model of success: a lesson in the value of strategy, foresight, and proper investment.
They are one of the few countries in the world to have two entirely professional women’s leagues, establishing regional academies across the country and a center of excellence in Salé where women’s football is taken as seriously as men’s football. And despite their disappointment, this felt more like a beginning than a conclusion to the Atlas Lionesses.
