The four teams are still riding high after their respective wins in the World Cup quarter-finals, but anticipation is already building ahead of the next step: the semis on Tuesday and Wednesday. Croatia will attempt to reach its second World Cup final in as many competitions, and Morocco is looking to continue its historic run after it became the first African team and the first Arab team to ever make it to the final four.

Defending champions France edged England 2-1 on Saturday as Harry Kane missed a late penalty in the World Cup quarter-finals, after Morocco became the first African team ever to reach the semi-finals.

France will face the surprising North Africans on Wednesday, earning their place when Olivier Giroud’s header proved the difference at Al Bayt Stadium.

In a tense match, Aurélien Tchouaméni’s strike opened the scoring with 17 minutes gone, but Kane brought England level from the penalty spot early in the second half.

England were the best side for large parts of the match but Giroud scored when it mattered most, rising above Harry Maguire to nod the ball into the net on 78 minutes for his 53rd goal for France.

As England desperately searched for an equaliser, they were thrown a late lifeline when Theo Hernandez needlessly shoved over Mason Mount and the referee gave a spot-kick following a VAR review.

But Kane blasted his kick high over the crossbar, spurning the chance to send the game into extra time. He was the first England player to sink to his knees at the final whistle, his head in his hands.

“We gave them a little ammunition with two penalties, but it is with hearts and guts that we held on to this result,” France manager Didier Deschamps said. “It’s fabulous because it was a big match against a very good English team.”

“We responded once again, it’s wonderful to reach the last four again, you have to savour it, a World Cup semi-final is quite something.”

England manager Gareth Southgate said he had told his players, “I don’t think they could have given any more”.

“They’ve played really well against a top team. It’s fine margins and things at both ends that have decided the game,” Southgate added.

Morocco make World Cup history

Only the most fervent Morocco fan would have bet on their side reaching the World Cup semi-finals before the tournament kicked off.

On Saturday, they beat Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal 1-0 thanks to Youssef En-Nesyri’s first-half header to go further than any African team ever has at a World Cup.

Morocco, ranked 22 in the world before the tournament started, have surpassed the three other African sides to reach the quarter-finals – Cameroon in 1990, Senegal in 2002 and Ghana in 2010.

Ronaldo, who came on as a second-half substitute, was unable to rescue his side and at the final whistle walked off down the tunnel wiping away tears without acknowledging either his teammates or the victorious Moroccans.

Ronaldo, 37, who with Lionel Messi has dominated world football for the past two decades, has likely played his last World Cup match after making a world record-equalling 196th international appearance at the Al Thumama Stadium in Doha.

The Moroccans have wildly surpassed expectations in Qatar and coach Walid Regragui lauded the battling spirit of his injury-hit side.

“We’re drawing on all we have, we still have guys injured. I told the guys before the match we had to write history for Africa. I’m very, very happy,” Regragui said.

As their national team made history, crowds gathered in Casablanca and chanted “Qualified! Qualified!”

There were also celebrations across the Arab world and in Europe as Morocco are also the first Arab team to reach a World Cup semi-final.

“My heart will stop, what a team, what stamina, what an achievement,” Ilham El Idrissi, a 34-year-old woman, told AFP in Casablanca.

Argentina and Croatia go head-to-head on Tuesday

Argentina and Lionel Messi will face 2018 finalists Croatia in the other semi-final after the Croatians dumped out pre-tournament favourites Brazil on Friday.

The five-time champions crashed out in dramatic fashion, losing on penalties after a 1-1 draw, while Argentina survived a fightback from the Netherlands to also win in a shootout.

Brazil star Neymar said he was contemplating retiring from international football after the crushing loss, but on Saturday Brazilian legend Pele urged him to “keep inspiring us”.

“I’m 82 years old, and after all this time, I hope I’ve inspired you in some way to get this far… Your legacy is far from over,” Pele wrote on Instagram.

Neymar had equalled Pele’s official Brazil scoring record of 77 international goals in Friday’s match.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

Moroccan soccer fans exploded in joy on Saturday as their team became the first from any African country to reach a World Cup semi-final, filling the stadium in Qatar with a deafening roar and unleashing cheering, crying, dancing and singing on the streets at home.

The 1-0 victory over Portugal was celebrated further afield, with exuberant fans from Abidjan in Ivory Coast to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia lauding what they saw as a historic win for both Africa and the Arab World.

“They made us happy and proud and they proved that they can make it to the final. Why not? We are so proud of this team that is supported by Africa and Arabs” said Siham Motahir, a young woman in Rabat, where cafes had filled with fans to watch the game.

To the rhythmic playing of a horn, men and women jumped up and down waving the Moroccan flag – part of a sea of people who had filled Rabat’s city centre, raising a cacophonous din of triumph.

The win over Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal is Morocco’s third over a highly ranked European team in the tournament, a run that had brought delight both in Morocco and for Africans and Arabs more widely.

African Union President Macky Sall wrote on Twitter, using capital letters to emphasise his excitement: “HISTORIC! AND FANTASTIC! THE ATLAS LIONS ARE QUALIFIED FOR THE SEMI-FINALS OF THE WORLD CUP! BRAVO MOROCCO.”

Arab and African political and sporting leaders paid tribute to Morocco, including tweets from the prime ministers of Libya, Iraq and the Palestinian Authority and the rulers of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.

Former Ivory Coast soccer star Didier Drogba tweeted, “They did it!!!! Well done Morocco for this feat. Long live Africa.”

In an Abidjan cafe where people were watching the game and drinking beer to celebrate the win, customer Jules Goule said Ivorians were proud of Morocco’s win. “Through Morocco Africa has just shown that it can compete with other continents in football,” he said.

Arab and African Joy

“Waoh, waoh… Morocco! It’s with great joy! Africa is shining! Go Africa!” shouted Agwe Jefferson, 28, a driver in Cameroon’s capital Yaounde.

In Libya, a crowd watching the game in the port city of Misrata lit red flares and waved Libyan and Moroccan flags, while in the Tunisian capital people celebrated the victory.

“Today Morocco honoured Africans and Arabs and made the dream we all have possible,” said Ameur Souilam in Tunis.

Meanwhile in the Palestinian territories and Israel, thousands of people packed cafes, restaurants and soccer stadiums screening the match, bursting into cheers with Morocco’s triumph. After its previous win, Morocco’s team had posed with the Palestinian flag.

“Seeing the Palestinian flag being waved by Morocco footballers made us feel as if we won,” said Gaza businessman Imad Joudat.

In the Edgware Road district of London, long a centre of the city’s Arab community, the street was jammed with cars honking horns and waving flags and in Paris chanting and cheering Moroccan fans filled the Champs Elysees.

Singing, Flag waving, Cheering

Moroccan fans erupted when Youssef En-Nesyri scored the game’s only goal. In the Jmaa al-Fnaa, the historic main square of Marrakech where authorities had put a big screen for fans, thousands of people leaped up and down as the ball went in.

As the game wound on, Morocco fans in the stadium screamed “Ole, ole, ole!” in unison, drowning out the handful of Portuguese fans and whistling whenever Portugal took possession of the ball.

Behind the two goals, banks of Moroccan supporters stood for the whole match with drummers and fan leaders coordinating the chants.

One man wearing the red and green of Morocco’s national flag and its football kit raised his hands in supplication as the final minutes ticked away, shouting “O God, o God”.

In the media box, a security guard, screaming with triumph, hugged a Moroccan journalist who was weeping with happiness.

As Moroccan player Jawad El Yamiq circled the pitch with a half-Moroccan, half-Qatari flag draped around his shoulders, one fan stood motionless, looking out over the pitch with his hands over his mouth as if unable to take in the scale of the win.

Outside the stadium a drummer led fans in a chant of “Go, go, go” before they sang “Al-Andalus al-Andalus” – the name of the historic Muslim state once ruling Spain and Portugal, the two teams Morocco has now knocked out.

With many Moroccans living and working in the Gulf, Morocco’s World Cup matches have felt like home-team games and Ismail Chakour, a Dubai-based banker, said he had been determined to attend the match “whatever the cost”.

In Rabat, joyful fans thronged the streets and headed towards the downtown square where Morocco’s victories are celebrated.

Children were hoisted onto parents shoulders and bounced up and down with the rest of the crowd, singing songs and waving flags.

“The last few minutes felt like hours,” said Samir Saqri as he joined a crowd pouring out from the cafe where they had watched the game to head downtown.

Source: Reuters

Defending champions France on Sunday trained their sights on a World Cup semi-final against surprise package Morocco as Argentina and Lionel Messi prepare to take on Croatia.

Didier Deschamps’ men edged past England in a thrilling quarter-final in the Qatar desert to move one step closer to becoming the first team to retain the trophy in 60 years.

They will meet Morocco at the Al Bayt Stadium on Wednesday after the African team sent Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal packing to become the first African team in history to reach the last four.

France were second best for long spells against Gareth Southgate’s England on Saturday and were grateful for a late Harry Kane penalty miss as they won 2-1.

England captain Kane had earlier cancelled out Aurelien Tchouameni’s opener, firing past his Tottenham teammate Hugo Lloris from the penalty spot.

That goal put him level with Wayne Rooney as England’s all-time leading scorer.

Olivier Giroud headed France back into the lead in the 78th minute before England were handed a lifeline but this time Kane blasted over and England’s chance was gone.

Deschamps, who led France to triumph in Russia in 2018, said his side showed “hearts and guts” to defeat a youthful England team.

“There is quality in this team, but there is also a good mentality and a state of mind,” he said. “We gave them a little ammunition with two penalties, but it is with hearts and guts that we held onto this result.”

Deschamps, who also won the World Cup as a player, said France’s semi-final opponents Morocco, ranked 22nd in the world, “deserve all our respect and recognition”.

“They weren’t among the teams we were expecting there, but it’s anything but a surprise.”

Southgate said he would take his time before he makes a decision over his future as England coach as the nation’s long and painful wait for a major trophy goes on.

The 1966 World Cup winners reached the semi-finals in 2018 and the final at last year’s European Championship but have again come up short against top-class opposition.

Morocco shock

Only the most fervent Morocco fan would have bet on their side reaching the World Cup semi-finals before the tournament kicked off.

On Saturday, they beat Ronaldo and Portugal 1-0 thanks to Youssef En-Nesyri’s first-half header, to go further than any African team ever has at a World Cup.

“We’re drawing on all we have, we still have guys injured,” said Morocco coach Walid Regragui. “I told the guys before the match we had to write history for Africa. I’m very, very happy.”

As their national team made history, crowds gathered in Casablanca and chanted “Qualified! Qualified!”

There were also celebrations across the Arab world and in Europe as Morocco are also the first Arab team to reach a World Cup semi-final.

Ronaldo headed down the tunnel with tears streaming down his face after the bitter defeat, ignoring the Morocco players rushing to their fans to celebrate.

At 37, his final chance of adding the World Cup to his Euro 2016 triumph has almost certainly gone as the end of an era of global superstars looms.

Brazil’s Neymar, who has already indicated he may never pull on the Brazil shirt again, said Saturday he was “psychologically destroyed” by his side’s elimination at the hands of Croatia on penalties on Friday.

“It is definitely the defeat which has hurt me the most, which left me paralysed for ten minutes after the match, after which I burst into tears without being able to stop,” the 30-year-old said in an Instagram message.

Messi is also likely playing on the biggest stage for the final time at the age of 35 but he has a golden chance to match the achievement of Diego Maradona, who lifted the trophy for Argentina in 1986.

The South American giants will meet the beaten 2018 finalists at Lusail Stadium on Tuesday after squeezing past the Netherlands on penalties.

They will meet a Croatia team led and inspired by veteran Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric, who will be aiming to go one better than they did four years ago.

Source: AFP

Croatia battled past tournament favourites Brazil 4-2 on penalties on Friday to reach the World Cup semi-finals following a 1-1 draw over 120 minutes.

The 2018 runners-up came through their second consecutive shootout after beating Japan also on penalties in the last 16 and will now face either the Netherlands or Argentina who play each other later.

In an evening filled with tension and drama, Brazil superstar Neymar thought he had won the game when he rifled in an extra-time goal for the five-time world champions.

Croatia substitute Bruno Petkovic’s left-footed equaliser three minutes from the end of extra time drew his side level, breaking Brazilian hearts in Doha’s Education City Stadium.

The Croats kept their composure from the penalty spot as Brazil’s Marquinhos and Rodrygo failed to convert.

Croatia initially refused to be intimidated by their more illustrious opponents and in the first half successfully stifled most Brazil moves early.

Apart from a weak Vinicius Jr. shot, Brazil had little else to offer in terms of attack with Neymar off the pace and shut out by a hard-working backline.

It was Croatia who looked sharper, more skilled in their passing game and with a precise game plan, and by the end of the first half they had the upper hand in terms of possession.

A Neymar free kick just before the break did not trouble Croatia keeper Dominik Livakovic as the Brazilians, whose last win over a European opponent in the knockout phase came in their 2002 final victory over Germany, struggled to find any space.

They did, however, almost take the lead three minutes after the restart when Josko Gvardiol tried to clear the ball but almost turned it into his own goal.

Seconds later, claims for a hand ball by defender Josip Juranovic were shot down following a VAR review before Neymar was sent through by Richarlison in the 55th minute only to have his close-range effort blocked by Livakovic.

The Brazilians, who have now lost four of their last five World Cup quarter-finals all to European opposition, enjoyed a much better start to the second half and came close again in the 66th when Lucas Paqueta was denied by Livakovic.

The Croatia keeper was kept busy and stopped Neymar in the 76th and by that time had more saves in the match (seven) than his Brazil counterpart, Alisson, had in the entire tournament (five).

Livakovic parried another Paqueta shot five minutes later as the few hundred Brazil fans in the stands grew louder and more impatient and the game trickled over to extra time with Brazil coach Tite visibly nervous.

In stoppage time of the first period, Neymar, largely lacklustre until then, launched an attack outside the box, played two consecutive one-twos to bamboozle the tired Croatian defence and then rounded the keeper to equal Brazil great Pele’s record of 77 international goals.

But the Croats refused to surrender with Petkovic’s equaliser forcing penalties and coming out on top in the shootout with Livakovic saving Rodrygo’s spot kick and Marquinos hitting the post.

Source: Reuters

Morocco will have the backing of an entire continent when they attempt to become Africa’s first World Cup semi-finalists by beating Portugal on Saturday, said coach Walid Regragui.

The North Africans will take on Portugal at Al Thumama Stadium as the first Arab nation to reach the last eight after beating Spain on penalties in the last 16.

A World Cup semi-final against either England or France is up for grabs, alongside a place in the history books.

Cameroon in 1990, Senegal’s 2002 side and the 2010 Ghana team all fell at the quarter-final stage.

“We have nothing to lose. The challenge is to do as well as we did in the previous games,” Regragui said on the eve of the match against Portugal.

“We want to show that Africa deserves to be here, Morocco deserves to be here.

“We have a whole people behind us, a continent behind us and the Arab world behind us. That’s a lot of energy behind us. We’re going to try and do everything we can.

“We can do it, we can make history again. It (the support) can push us, help us actually to play with this pressure, not to make any mistakes.”

Morocco have the best defensive record in the tournament, having conceded only one goal in their four matches.

But Regragui warned: “We can’t rest on our laurels. We haven’t got carried away, we’ve just surprised a few people and a few algorithms who expected Belgium or Spain to be in the quarter-finals.”

Ronaldo factor

Cristiano Ronaldo was a surprise omission from Portugal’s starting XI for their match against Switzerland in the last 16, with his replacement, Goncalo Ramos, scoring a hat-trick in a 6-1 win.

But Regragui would prefer to see the Portuguese teamsheet without the name of international men’s football’s greatest goalscorer.

“They’re going to be fresh,” he said. “I don’t know if Ronaldo’s going to play, but I hope he doesn’t. I know he’s one of the best players in history so I don’t want him to play.”

Morocco’s success in Qatar has sparked celebrations back home, but also in several European countries where the Moroccan diaspora live.

Fourteen of Regragui’s 26-man squad were born outside the African country.

“People are identifying with us and we’ve managed to unite Moroccans behind this football team,” he said. “I think that’s worth more than anything, it’s worth more than money, it’s worth more than titles.

“We’ve made people happy, we’ve made people proud but that’s not the only reason we’re here — we’re here to win matches and go as far as we can in this tournament.”

Morocco have had a series of injury concerns, with full-backs Achraf Hakimi and Noussair Mazraoui playing despite not being fully fit.

Centre-back Nayef Aguerd hobbled off injured in the Spain match but could be ready to play on Saturday.

“Lots of injuries, people sick. We’ve played lots of games without people 100 percent,” said Regragui.

“I’m proud for that because nobody has seen Morocco at 100 percent power. Aguerd is waiting tomorrow to see if he can play or not.”

Source: AFP