World Cup Podcast: Morocco make history but Kane overthinks second penalty

11.12.2022 - 01:45 rte.ie

Keith Treacy joins Mikey Stafford and Rob Wright to discuss another painful penalty-related exit for England as France march on to the semi-final to meet surprise packages Morocco.Harry Kane blasted his first penalty past clubmate Hugo Lloris but Keith reckons he overthought the second one as he skied it.

England arguably deserved at least extra-time after a close contest decided by a sharp Olivier Giroud finish.Credit to Kyle Walker's heatmap as he shackled Kylian Mbappe, Keith has first hand knowledge of the England full-back's raw pace and reckons he used it well.The defending champions, with midfield general Antoine Griezmann running the show, march on to face Morocco in a tasty semi-final on Wednesday.The first African team to reach a World Cup semi-final, they have still conceded a single (own) goal and confounded Portugal today in their 1-0 win.

Keith praised their commitment and Rob pointed out their tactical nous and bravery in possession.After the bonkers Netherlands-Argentina aftermath, we had more referee bashing here, with Pepe and Bruno Fernandes questioning the motives of the Argentine referee.Listen to the RTÉ Soccer podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity.

World Cup 2022 soccer Sport cup penalty Bruno Fernandes Kyle Walker Antoine Griezmann Hugo Lloris Harry Kane Olivier Giroud Keith Treacy France Netherlands Portugal Argentina Morocco county Kane

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France’s midfielder #08 Aurelien Tchouameni reacts after a challenge during the Qatar 2022 World Cup quarter-final football match between England and France at the Al-Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, north of Doha, on December 10, 2022. (Photo by Jewel SAMAD / AFP)

World Cup Qatar 2022™ preview: France vs Morocco

Follow all the action from the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ on beIN SPORTS Defending champions France face off against Morocco at Al Bayt Stadium on Wednesday evening with a place in the FIFA World Cup final on the line. France edged out England in a tetchy quarter-final to reach the final four, whilst Morocco continued their sensational run in Qatar by getting the better of Portugal with a 1-0 win. In the process, Morocco became the first Arabic and African nation to reach the semi-finals of a FIFA World Cup tournament. France had a fair amount of luck in their quarter-final against England and perhaps without that late missed penalty from Harry Kane may have already been on the aeroplane back home. However, some stout defending and a powerful header from Olivier Giroud ensured that Les Bleus progressed to the semi-finals. Reassuringly, France has been successful in their last three visits to the FIFA World Cup, winning their last three appearances in 1998, 2006 and 2018. Although the fact that France has yet to keep a clean sheet yet in Qatar whilst coming up against the best defensive side left in the tournament would be a concern for Didier Deschamps. In team news, France is expected to name an unchanged side for this one, with Olivier Giroud the focal point in attack. blockquote class="twitter-tweet">