Morocco’s dream of the first World Cup final only lasts five minutes. Then Antoine Griezmann breaks through on the side, Kylian Mbappé takes on a hundred in the penalty area and Theo Hernandez breaks the proud heart of the Africans. The tournament in Qatar gets the showdown of the superstars.
Midnight in Al Bayt. The soccer World Cup gets its spectacular showdown: Argentina against France. Lionel Messi vs Kylian Mbappe. The dream of the first title in 36 years versus the dream of defending the title for the first time in 60 years. In the second semi-final, France beat Morocco, the big underdogs at this World Cup, 2-0 (1-0).
The half moon hangs over the tent. The desert spectacle is over. clean out. Not going back to the stadium where it all started with the opening match between Qatar and Ecuador on November 20th. At the thought, something like melancholy comes up for a brief moment at FIFA. A good half hour before the duel between France and Morocco, the duel between the former colonial power and its former colony, the volume controls are turned down.
“There must be lights somewhere that shine brighter. There must be birds flying higher in a bluer sky,” sings Elvis Presley. His voice floats through the huge Bedouin tent, over the small French colony in the middle of a gigantic red wall: “If I can dream of a better country where all my brothers will walk together hand in hand. Tell me: why can’t my dream become truth.”
The highlights of the soon-to-be-ended World Cup are running on the two video screens: Robert Lewandowski’s tears, Takuma Asano’s stab in the German heart, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale sink their penalties, Mexico’s Guillermo Ochoha saves the rest. None of them are in Qatar anymore. A World Cup is also a show of the fleetingness of happiness. It melts into parried penalties, missed chances and lost duels.
Morocco has headed north with the highest hopes. Thousands of fans have been making their way from Marrakech towards Doha in recent days. They all want to see the team of the cult coach Walid Regragui. He managed to become one of the stars of the coaching scene within just a few games. He is already being referred to as “Atlas Kloppo”.
Not all fans come to the stadium. Not everyone can leave the country at all because numerous flights are canceled “as a result of recent restrictions by the Qatari authorities”. As with so many in the emirate, there are no more precise justifications. Nevertheless, around 55,000 of the 68,294 spectators are in the Al Bayt. They fervently sing the national anthem “an-Nashid al-Sharif”. “To brothers! Strive for greatness. Show the world that we live forever.”
The fans suddenly only know success. The Atlas Lions’ record so far in the 2020s is staggering: 41 games, 31 wins, eight draws and just two defeats – against Egypt in the Africa Cup of Nations and the USA in a friendly this June. At this World Cup they threw out the second, seventh and ninth in the world rankings with Belgium, Spain and Portugal. They conceded just one goal before the semi-finals and were never behind.
Against France it takes less than five minutes. Then all statistics are thrown overboard. At the end of a long chain of mistakes and misfortunes, which started around 30 meters from the goal when Jawad El Yamiq slipped, Achraf Dari hit the ball next to it. It had only slipped into the team after warming up for the injured Nayef Aguerd. It’s not the game of the 23-year-old from Stade Brest, a relegation contender in France’s Ligue 1. No wonder: it’s against Kylian Mbappé for him:
Mbappé, the silent superstar. The record hunter. The 23-year-old now has nine World Cup goals under his belt, is well on his way to breaking Miroslav Klose’s record (16 goals) and could bag his second World Cup title on Sunday.
At the beginning of the tournament, the attacker only talks to those same goals on the soccer field. He doesn’t say a word to the press. Even if he had to because he was awarded the Mans of the Match award. The world is very interested in the PSG striker. For example his future – will he stay with France’s top team or will he go to Real Madrid? But Mbappé wants no speculation, no gossip, no distraction. He says he is happy to pay the fines for his silence.
Of course, the silent megastar is also involved in that fifth minute, the early shock for Morocco. First, a perfectly timed pass from Raphael Varane finds Antoine Griezmann, who starts in depth and is lucky that El Yamiq strides past the ball. The pass from the best assister in France national team history to the back of the defense eventually finds Mbappé after cleverly stealing away from a whole bunch of opponents in the vicinity. The superstar pulls straight away, is blocked twice, but Theo Hernández uses his last rebound acrobatically with a side pull on the left post.
As soon as Mbappé is played, two men attack him at breakneck speed, preventing him from receiving the ball. But that doesn’t matter much, because Les Bleus have another top scorer of the World Cup in their ranks in Olivier Giroud. A long ball knocks out the entire Moroccan back line, because the 36-year-old is physically strong and then marches towards the goal with the ball on his foot. His humorless beam smacks the left outer post! Lucky for the Atlas lions.
Back to the superstar’s silence, which has another reason. On the Frenchman’s Instagram channel, a picture with his MVP trophy caused a stir because he turned away the Budweiser logo. The beer brand sponsors the trophy, which is awarded after each game. A clash of interests. Mbappé does not want to be associated with alcoholic beverages, his contract for his own image rights prohibits him from doing so, as well as links to junk food or sports betting. The PSG star wants to remain a role model for his many young fans.
Following complaints from the striker and other players, sponsor Budweiser subsequently made “alternative, culturally appropriate” accommodations. Then Mbappé speaks again after beating Poland in the round of 16. “I have nothing against journalists,” he explains. “If I haven’t gotten a chance to speak, it’s because I have to concentrate fully on the competition and not waste energy on other things. I prepared myself optimally, both physically and mentally, to win this tournament.”
For the World Cup victory, the final must come first. France have the chances, only Didier Deschamps’ team let them lie criminally. Aurélien Tchouaméni asserts himself strongly in midfield and initiates a counterattack. The 22-year-old’s pass into the interface, of course, Mbappé sits, but the PSG striker fails again. Tchouaméni sends the rebound to Giroud, who aims a direct shot just outside the left post.
The second half comes up with a sprint for the history books. Far in his own half, Mbappé, who is no longer silent, receives the ball on the outside line. The Moroccans swarm out again, attacking him like a swarm of wasps. With four opponents around him, the Frenchman sprints with the ball at his foot – and is faster than the first Moroccan. As the second. As the third and fourth. Mbappé even crosses the sideline during his sprint, which even Usain Bolt should almost be jealous of, catches up the ball again in the opposing penalty area – and is rudely placed by Sofyan Amrabat’s tackle. But the referee allows it to continue.
But then the superstar really speaks. No, Mbappé sings. Sings a chanson. Whether by Jaques Brel, Charles Trenet, or Édith Piaf. But, and this is important: He does it with his feet. With a clever turn in the penalty area, the striker takes the first attacker out of the game beautifully, but that’s just the beginning. The ball goes to substitute Marcus Thuram, who puts it straight back to Mbappé. And then he really bangs away – whether with bass or tenor remains unknown.
Even accepting the ball is an eye-catcher, because Mbappé combines it with a body deception that lets his opponent run into nothing. He penetrates the penalty area with elegance and power, starts a wonderful slalom run and thus dissects the entire Moroccan defense. A catch here, a delay there. Wow. His degree doesn’t want to be completely successful again, but it’s a gift. The chanson is in full swing and Frankfurt’s Kolo Muani, who has only been on the field for 43 seconds, happily joins in the refrain. His shot lands in the net to make it 2-0. Morocco’s World Cup fairytale is over and Mbappé and the defending champions will challenge Lionel Messi and Argentina in the dream final, the duel of the superstars, on Sunday.
When it’s all over, Morocco’s players fall to the ground. But once the French are in the dressing room and the Moroccan players have overcome their initial grief over their defeat, they kneel in front of their fans.