Morocco offer France first real test of World Cup credentials

NEW YORK, July 7 : France's World Cup campaign has already tested their firepower, patience and nerves, but Thursday's quarter-final against Morocco will offer Didier Deschamps' side something different: their first full football examination of the tournament.

The meeting is a rematch of the 2022 World Cup semi-final, when France ended Morocco's historic run in Qatar, but this time the North Africans arrive not as surprise outsiders but as a confident, gifted side who have been open about their ambition to win the tournament.

France reached the last eight after a 1-0 win over Paraguay, a game that demanded character and patience more than fluency. Paraguay sat deep, slowed the rhythm and forced France to find a way through a packed defensive structure.

Deschamps' team did enough, with Kylian Mbappe scoring his seventh goal at this World Cup, but the performance also underlined that the knockout stage is beginning to ask harder questions of a side whose attacking talent has carried them through much of the tournament.

Against Morocco, the challenge will be different. Mohamed Ouahbi's side have shown they can suffer, control spells of possession and punish opponents with speed and precision.

Their 3-0 win over Canada in the last 16 confirmed the impression of a team growing into the tournament after coming through the group stage unbeaten.

Morocco had already shown their level in a demanding group, collecting seven points from matches against Brazil, Scotland and Haiti, and their performances have backed up their stated belief that they are not merely here to repeat the emotional charge of 2022.

France, by contrast, have yet to face a side with Morocco's blend of technical quality, athletic intensity and self-belief. Sweden were