Morocco's lineup against France: Ouahbi's attacking gamble
Mohamed Ouahbi has revealed Morocco's official starting lineup for the quarter-final against France, without Saibari and without a recognised out-and-out striker.
France
Morocco- 90'Final score: France 2 - 0 Morocco
- 87'Substitution: ↑ M. Gusto / ↓ J. Kounde (France)
- 85'Substitution: ↑ A. Sbai / ↓ C. Talbi (Morocco)
- 77'Substitution: ↑ B. Barcola / ↓ D. Doue (France)
- 77'Substitution: ↑ J. Mateta / ↓ K. Mbappe (France)
- 74'Substitution: ↑ Z. El Ouahdi / ↓ A. Salah-Eddine (Morocco)
- 74'Substitution: ↑ G. Yassine / ↓ B. Diaz (Morocco)
- 71'Substitution: ↑ W. Zaire-Emery / ↓ M. Kone (France)
- 66'⚽ Goal for France (O. Dembele)
- 63'Yellow card: Issa Diop (Morocco)
- 62'Substitution: ↑ S. Rahimi / ↓ B. El Khannouss (Morocco)
- 62'Substitution: ↑ S. Amrabat / ↓ A. Bouaddi (Morocco)
- 60'⚽ Goal for France (K. Mbappe)
- 45'Half-time
- 28'Penalty missed: Kylian Mbappé (France)
- 0'Kick-off
Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi has revealed the official starting lineup for the quarter-final against France, set for this Thursday at Gillette Stadium in Boston.
Goalkeeper: Yassine Bounou.
Defenders: Achraf Hakimi, Noussair Mazraoui, Issa Diop, Anas Salah-Eddine.
Midfielders: Ayoub Bouaddi, Azzedine Ounahi, Bilal El Khannouss, Naïl El Aynaoui.
Forwards: Chamseddine Talbi and Brahim Díaz.
The lineup stands out for the absence of any recognised out-and-out striker such as Youssef En-Nesyri, a surprising choice from Ouahbi following Saibari's injury withdrawal, opting instead for a creative duo led by Talbi and Díaz up front.
Kick-off is set for 20:00 GMT, in a daunting test for a Morocco side dreaming of repeating their Qatar 2022 heroics.
