France vs Morocco FIFA World Cup Semi-Final: What Happened Last Time These Two Teams Met
History awaits France and Morocco as the two teams square off at Al Bad Stadium on Thursday in the second semi-final of the FIFA World Cup.
Morocco has broken new boundaries by becoming the first African semi-finalist in the competition’s history.
France are one game away from reaching their second consecutive final, becoming the first team to do so since Brazil in 2002. With Brazil (1958 and 1962) the last team to achieve the feat, an even bigger wait will end if the French win the whole thing.
Despite deep-rooted socio-political ties — Morocco was a French protectorate a century ago — the two sides have not played off each other in recent times.
The most recent meeting between France and Morocco ended in a 2-2 draw in a 2007 friendly at the Stade de France in Paris.
In the eighth minute, Tariq Sekhtioi gave Morocco the lead. Sidney Gou equalized on seven minutes. Samir Nasri gave France a 2-1 lead in the second half, but a late Youssef Mokhtari goal ended the match in a 2-2 draw.
France and Morocco have met five times in international friendlies so far. But they have never met before in a World Cup. This is their first meeting.
Their first meeting was in 1988 when France beat Morocco 2-1. However, in unsanctioned matches, the two teams played several times in the 1960s.
In a friendly in 1998, Morocco beat France in a penalty shootout. The Atlas Lions took a 2-0 lead through a brace from Salahedin Basir before Laurent Blanc and Yuri Georgaev equalized the score. Morocco won the shootout, their only win against France.
