At this stage, each match is a draw in waiting, at this level, fervour runs high, the joy of winning is unbridled, the misery of defeat, unbearable!
Now this becomes more than a game, and no less than a battle.
France and Morocco, both sides have played with conviction, poise and dauntless spirt.
Now, one side has to leave while the other moves to the quarter finals.
Interestingly, at the last World Cup, Morocco lost to France in the semi-finals by 2-0.
So, for many Morocco players, this is payback time.
The Musketeers came to the World Cup with their eyes on the trophy and since the beginning of the tournament, pundits have often named Les Bleus as one of the favourites.
They have played well, and even before the World Cup, France’s record has been rock-solid, only losing to Ivory Coast in a friendly in the last ten matches.
Against Paraguay, the victory was tough and the margin 1-0.
Some football analysts are looking at such a slender margin of victory as a weakness of the French, but it’s not.
In fact, at the knock-out stages, expecting too many goals is absurd.
In the Argentina-Egypt match, five goals were scored because Argentina took time to establish cohesion and with a 2-0 cushion, Egypt allowed Argentina to play the wings with ease, concentrating more on containing mid-field build-ups.
Also, keeping a low winning margin is a canny strategy – that does not attract too much attention and hype.
Too much discussion builds expectations, creating unnecessary stress.
When Germany scored seven against Curacao at the group stage, the belief among many was that this German side is here to go all the way.
We saw what happened and the point is, winning by a lone goal is better than facing the nerve- wracking experience of penalties.
In 2022, Morocco became fourth, which means they still have to go some way before touching their best World Cup record so far.
Morocco’s biggest advantage is their attacking line which, creates converts less than half chances, scoring from outside the D Box.
In the game against Canada, at the round of 16, The Atlas Lions struck in the second half showing their class, leaving Canadians clueless.
Their firepower is top notch while containing Kylian Mbappe will be part of the main strategy.
A little bit of history: in the past, a Moroccan player Youness Roux played for a local club in Bangladesh.
Football fans would want to see an African side move to the quarters because, otherwise, it again becomes a European and Latin affair, remarked Ajit Chowhan, a football enthusiast.
Echoing his views, senior sports journalist and vlogger, Mazhar Mithun, says that unless there’s an African side in the semis, the ‘drama’ effect of the World Cup will be lost.
As for today’s match, well, seeing the resolve of the Egypt side against Argentina, one has to admit, anything can happen.
The Atlas Lions will storm the Bastille in the month of the French Revolution.
In the spirit of 1789, let’s chant: Vive la football!
