Morocco’s football fairy tale: How Regragui has brought the Atlas Lions together
Yassine ‘Bono’ Bounou embodies the humility and spirit of Morocco’s magical World Cup run Yassine Bounou , whose heroics and layered family history sum up the brilliance of his national team and the Moroccan diaspora.
A tribute to Grant Wahl and his legacy in the soccer world Netherlands quarterfinal.
Your best bets (odds via Caesars Sportsbook) If you’re looking to bet on the World Cup, ESPN contributors Paul Carr, Daniel Thomas and Dalen Cuff are here to give you key tips on odds, options and futures . Here’s what we have for Wednesday’s semifinal.
Morocco (+625) vs. France (-200), Draw (+285)
Paul Carr: Similar to the other semifinal, the value is on the underdog here. France will have more of the ball and probably outshoot Morocco at least 2-to-1, but Morocco are fine with that, looking to capitalize on a handful of good counter-attacking opportunities. Even with the questions about the health of Morocco’s back line, they have better than a 1-in-4 chance of holding on and at least getting to extra time. I prefer to play Morocco to advance at anything north of +300, and I like the price on the draw here too (+285) if the other prices are lower.
Dalen Cuff: You’ll get no argument from me on Paul’s analysis above. As good as Morocco have been defensively (only one goal conceded — an own goal, no less), I like the over here. They’re a little banged up and France has shown the ability to score. Conversely, France has been scored on in every match and looks shaky at the back. Les Bleus will have the lion’s share of the ball, which Morocco is fine with as they’ll manufacture some solid counter-opps in this match. The Atlas Lions have been good at capitalizing on relatively few scoring chances in each match. I’ll go with over 2.5 goals at +125.
Daniel Thomas: Blooming heck, wouldn’t it the absolute epitome of this World Cup if Morocco would knock out the defending champions? France weren’t great against England but they have the attacking potential to pick apart even the sternest of defenses. I really like Antoine Griezmann with an “anytime assist” at +240.
News and notes We know that the World Cup is a battle of national teams, but players have to go back to their clubs when all’s said and done, and it’s nice to see a bit of togetherness following England’s quarterfinal loss to France. Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris told the media Tuesday that he texted his club teammate , England striker Harry Kane , following Saturday’s defeat in which Kane missed a penalty. “It’s a difficult time for the England national team and Harry. … I don’t need to go too much further. We had a text [exchange] after the game. It was not easy to find the words. He needed some time to rest, but I think he can be proud of what he has done for the national team.”
From one Brazil legend to another: Ronaldo Nazario cautioned that Neymar needs some psychological supports to help manage the “disproportionate pressure” of trying to win the World Cup.
Well done, Lionel Messi! He’s now preparing for another World Cup final and will do so as Argentina’s all-time leading scorer at the World Cup , with his penalty vs. Croatia his 11th goal at this competition. PHEW.
And finally, another England read. Remember how good Harry Maguire was during the Three Lions’ run to the quarterfinals? Well, his club manager, Man United’s Erik ten Hag, certainly spotted it and is hoping that the defender’s form comes back with him from Qatar. “It’s clear he is good enough to play at the highest level,” Ten Hag said at United’s training camp in Spain . “We want him to bring that back to Manchester with him so he can bring it on the pitch for United.
What’s on tomorrow France vs. Morocco (2p ET): This is it! The second semifinal pits Kylian Mbappe & Co. against the World Cup’s preeminent Cinderella story. Who will advance?
