​This was always going to go in one direction. Fair play to Morocco—they gave it their all and made it interesting for a stretch, even appearing relatively even for a while. After Kylian Mbappé’s miss from the spot, France looked a touch off balance. If the Moroccans had managed to nick a goal in that window, you could sense something shifting, but it didn’t come.
So when Mbappé opened the scoring, the outcome felt decided in that moment. Has there ever been a national team that carried an air of inevitability with such conviction? Watching France against a Morocco side that fought hard, skillfully, and well organized gave the same impression as watching Bayern Munich face an equal opponent like Augsburg. They weren’t necessarily overwhelming at every turn, but it didn’t matter. France were simply better. They were always going to win.
If France reach the final again, they’ll enter the discussion as one of the best national teams in history. If they lift the trophy again, that debate will be almost completely settled.
Morocco fought hard. They tried with everything they had, but they could not find a way to breach France’s defense. Why was that? Didier Deschamps isn’t Thomas Tuchel; his team plays a more expansive, attacking style. In theory, there should have been gaps to exploit in France’s setup.
Yet the problem is threefold: pace, risk, and pressure. Pace is often overlooked, but France is incredibly fast across the board. Their attackers are quick, yes, but the entire starting XI is rapid. Whenever Morocco found a seam on the break, they were immediately chased down by backtracking French players. Countering France with numbers proved nearly impossible.
Risk follows from that pace. France can transition at such speed that committing extra bodies forward is a huge gamble. Morocco could never press with more than three forwards in a sequence, limiting their attacking output and leaving the French defense with the bulk of the job already done. That makes life easier for Dayot Upamecano and co.
Then there’s the pressure. Playing under 90 minutes of sustained heat is exhausting. Extended spells without a meaningful attack can erode confidence and sharpen mistakes when a chance does arise. It saps composure and makes precision harder. Teams built to suffer and disrupt, like Paraguay in other times, excel in those moments. Morocco came to play football, and France executed their game plan far more effectively.
Any single factor can be overcome, but three together is a formidable barrier. It’s not impossible, but it’s certainly a tall order.
Dayot Upamecano deserves a Ballon d’Or-level nod for the defender’s performance. Those who question his quality either don’t watch France or Bayern Munich, or simply lack understanding of the game. Upamecano is a dream for any coach: a ball-playing defender who also possesses top-tier pace and 1v1 defending, complemented by superb positioning, aerial prowess, and the requisite leadership at the back.