A WORLD CUP SEMIFINAL WILL PIT FRANCE AGAINST MOROCCO WITH FRIENDS KYLIAN MBAPPE AND ACHRAF HAKIMI ON OPPOSITE SIDES

A WORLD CUP SEMIFINAL WILL PIT FRANCE AGAINST MOROCCO WITH FRIENDS KYLIAN MBAPPE AND ACHRAF HAKIMI ON OPPOSITE SIDES

By Rashmi Goel

The Paris Saint-Germain teammates Kylian Mbappe and Achraf Hakimi will be in direct competition in the semi-finals of the World Cup. When Kylian Mbappe had a day off at the World Cup last week, he went to the hotel where the Moroccan team is staying to visit his friend Hakimi. Despite being born a month and a half apart, the two game together, travel together, spend holidays together and even celebrate goals together. The time has come to put that friendship aside. Both will be on opposite sides as France takes on Morocco in the second semifinal.

In Qatar, Mbappe has scored five goals, including two in the last-16 victory over Poland. Although he failed to score against England, Hakimi - like Manchester City defender Walker - is a rapid full-back who will look to neutralise one of France's main threats. He trains with Mbappe every day, which makes him better familiar with him than I am," Morocco boss Walid Regragui said. “ He is in a better position than I am to know Kylian. As Hakimi and Mbappe are friends and team-mates at Paris Saint-Germain, there is an added bit of spice to this match-up as well. There will be no love lost between France and Morocco for 90 minutes or more at Al Bayt Stadium, but it makes for an exciting battle, with only one of France and Morocco able to advance to the final.

As In the PSG dressing room, Mbappe and Hakimi are "inseparable". The two players enjoy a close friendship that extends beyond the everyday activities of their clubs, however, as the French forward visited his club colleague on a day off between their respective nations' victories in the last-16. They both played a significant role in those victories, Mbappe with a double in the second half and Hakimi with his match-winning penalty against Spain. In reaching the semi-finals, Walid Regragui's side became the first African team to reach this stage. As a result of a solid defence which has allowed them to win the tournament, they have only conceded once, and Mbappe is well aware of what his friend - and the Atlas Lions' squad - can accomplish after shutting out Croatia, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, and only conceding an own goal against Canada. In an interview with Marca prior to the Spain match, Hakimi stated that he knew what his team was capable of. The situation is that we always converse because friends always talk, we are always in contact and playing. I believe that he is comfortable. It's not like they know him, he's a good boy and he's at ease. As for his team, he wants to do great things and he is thrilled."

There is more to this than just Hakimi versus Mbappe, of course. The right-back kept the PSG star off the scoresheet in the quarter-final, but Aurelien Tchouameni and Olivier Giroud scored goals to advance Les Bleus. In addition to Mbappe and Dembele, France has a number of other excellent players, including (Antoine) Griezmann between the lines and (Ousmane) Dembele on the other wing. Hakimi could certainly earn a place on the world's top teams at his position as well. Both players are world-class champions. Following their quarterfinal victory, France became the clear favorite to win the World Cup. Mbappe will now need to break the Atlas Lions' defence, something that no other opponent has done in this tournament, following the elimination of Brazil and Portugal.

It is an impressive defense that has remained resilient despite personnel changes throughout the tournament. Regragui's side could find themselves in disarray if their goalkeeper Bono is unable to start in Al Khor due to injury. Hakimi is the only member of the back four to have started each game, while Bono also missed one match. Aguerd and Mazraoui missed the game against Portugal due to injuries, and will be evaluated prior to the match, while Saiss was stretchered off after beginning the match with heavy leg strapping. In this situation, any opponent would be challenged, let alone the reigning world champions. Despite this, Morocco will have an advantage in the game - a defender who knows one of France's biggest threats well. In this case, the challenge lies in the fact that it is a two-way street.