France vs Morocco: Manchester United defender Raphael Varane praises Morocco ahead of FIFA World Cup 2022 semifinal

It goes without saying that Morocco have been the surprise package in the FIFA World Cup 2022. The African side has defied odds to reach the semifinals of the showpiece event. It has allowed Morocco to become the first African nation to reach the semifinal of a World Cup. They might have been an underdog in most of their clashes but Morocco have certainly deserved their place in the last-four stage. The North African country defeated heavyweights such as Belgium, Spain and Portugal to be where they are.

Next up for Morocco is their most difficult test of the World Cup – a semifinal against France. Didier Deschamps’ side are the defending champions and were one of the pre-tournament favourites to retain the coveted trophy. So far they have lived up to those expectations by storming into the semifinal. In the quarterfinal, France got past England 2-1. Moreover, France are being labelled as favourites to defeat Morocco in the semifinals, however, their star defender Raphael Varane is not getting carried away.

Read More – France vs Morocco: FIFA World Cup 2022 Live Stream, Form Guide, Head to Head, Schedule, Fixture and Probable Lineups

“We have enough experience to avoid falling into this trap (of being over confident). They’ve reached that stage for a reason. They defend very well, it will be extremely difficult. We, the leaders of the team, have to prepare all the players for another battle,” Varane said in a pre-match news conference. “It’s a World Cup semi-final, you need to give everything until the end if you want to deserve your place in the final. They’re writing Moroccan football history, they have a collective force with performances that give them a lot of confidence.”

Jurgen Klinsmann on France’s victory over England

Former Germany head coach Jurgen Klinsman believes the quarter-final battle between England and France should have happened in the semi-final or final of the World Cup. This game was the most notable highlight of the last-eight encounter. With a lot of hype surrounding this contest, the match did not disappoint the supporters. In the end, France edged England 2-1 to reach the last-four stage. Despite the defeat, Klinsmann only had good words for England.

“Overall it was very positive from England. France vs England should have been a semi-final or final,” Klinsmann said at a Technical Study Group Briefing. “Unfortunately one of them had to go home. It’s still a team in growth, this is a team that can get better over the years. They have a lot of talent coming through, they’re getting better and more experienced after three positive tournaments. There’s more to come from this England side.”