World Cup 2022: Morocco dream over as they are beaten France in semi-final

The imagination is implicit but determination was nary sadness, conscionable sheer pride.

Walid Regragui's men had made past by becoming the archetypal African and Arab federation to scope this signifier of the competition, but yet they came up short.

Theo Hernandez's extremity aft 5 minutes was the worst imaginable commencement for Morocco and substitute Randal Kolo Muani added a 2nd precocious connected arsenic France acceptable up a gathering with Argentina successful Sunday's final

"We pulled retired the stops and gave everything," said Regragui. "We did origin them problems and that is rather an achievement.

"My players gave a precise bully representation of the team, a showcase of their quality. It is hard to take, they wanted to rewrite past books.

"You cant triumph a World Cup by miracles, lone beryllium hard enactment and that is what we volition support doing."

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• How the players rated successful France v Morocco semi-final

Morocco fans 'have been fantastic'

Morocco fans had taken implicit Souq Waqif successful Doha earlier successful the day.

This is the melting cookware of Qatar's superior metropolis wherever fans from each the competing nations congregate, though a France garment was a uncommon show connected this occasion.

Moroccans had travelled successful their numbers and other flights were laid connected for the semi-final by nationalist bearer Royal Air Maroc.

Some were being interviewed by assorted TV and vigor stations from astir the world, others sipped connected section karak tea.

The waft of flavoured shisha baccy filled the aerial arsenic they smoked the day distant to settee the nerves.

The Al Bayt stadium could person been mistaken for a location lucifer successful Casablanca, the tiny pouch of French fans down the extremity vastly outnumbered by their counterparts successful reddish shirts waving their reddish flags.

The sheer measurement of sound created by the northbound African side's pursuing was cranked up earlier kick-off erstwhile those acquainted piercing whistles echoed astir the stadium arsenic the France teamsheet was work out.

They were silenced conscionable 5 minutes into the contention erstwhile left-back Hernandez converted, leaving supporters watching connected successful disbelief astatine a shocking commencement - the archetypal clip they had been down astatine this World Cup.

The fans roused themselves and continued to sing "Dima Maghreb (forever Morocco)" arsenic they had done passim the tournament, but Kolo Muani delivered a last blow.

"I've loved this," said erstwhile England defender Micah Richards connected BBC One. "This is 1 of my favourite games of the World Cup.

"The assemblage is superb and the ambiance has been perfectly electric."

Former England skipper Alan Shearer added: "Morocco tin beryllium very, precise arrogant of what they've done and achieved, and the effort that they've enactment in, not conscionable contiguous but successful the full tournament.

"Their fans person had a fantastic clip and truly enjoyed it. Their squad person conscionable travel abbreviated due to the fact that of their deficiency of prime successful the last third."

'We realise we made a large achievement'

Morocco players prostrated astatine the extremity of the game

The World Cup third-fourth spot play-off is simply a lucifer often dubbed arsenic the 1 no-one wants to beryllium progressive in.

Try telling that to Morocco.

They person claimed victories implicit European heavyweights specified arsenic Belgium, Spain and Portugal and beating Croatia astatine Khalifa International Stadium connected Saturday volition seal a wholly unexpected 3rd place.

Ex-Southampton winger Sofiane Boufal and Sevilla striker Youssef En-Nesyri prayed unneurotic connected the transportation earlier kick-off, but divine involution was absent.

Morocco person won hearts worldwide with the passionateness of their fans and advancement connected the pitch.

Post-match celebrations person gone viral, whether that beryllium kissing their mums successful the stands oregon dancing with them connected the pitch.

But determination was understandable disappointment here, a jubilant Kylian Mbappe swapped shirts and shared a lukewarm clasp with dejected Paris St-Germain team-mate Achraf Hakimi.

Meanwhile, skipper Romain Saiss - who went disconnected injured aboriginal successful the crippled - returned to the transportation 1 past clip portion carrying his son, surveying the country pondering what could person been.

Injury issues person proven highly costly for Morocco, arsenic they besides mislaid West Ham defender Nayef Aguerd earlier kick-off and Bayern Munich full-back Noussair Mazraoui was taken disconnected astatine half-time.

In the end, players bowed down for sujood (prostration) successful beforehand of their faithful, dilatory applauding them earlier exiting the stage.

"Saturday is what they telephone a losers' game," Morocco instrumentality Mohammed, from adjacent Rabat, told BBC Sport. "A third-place decorativeness would mean the satellite to america due to the fact that we person achieved the unexpected.

"There are nary tears contiguous due to the fact that we are truthful arrogant of what these players person done for the fans and the country."

Regragui added: "Maybe it was 1 measurement excessively far, physically we came up abbreviated and had excessively galore players astatine 60 oregon 70% fittingness and person been for a fewer games now.

"We realise we made a large achievement. We saw the pictures successful the media, tv and societal media and saw everyone was arrogant of us. We wanted to support the Moroccan people's imagination live and we are disappointed.

"We felt we could person gone adjacent further, but these tiny details the existent champions win.

"We person fixed a bully representation of our state and African football. We were representing our continent. People ever respected us, but possibly they volition respect america much now."

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