One by one they fell away, Morocco’s hopes of conquering France dwindling a little with each step. Nayef Aguerd, the central defender, fell by the wayside during the warm-up. Romain Saiss, the captain, finally admitted – to himself, as much as anything – that he was injured after fifteen minutes of play. Noussair Mazraoui, patched up and persevering, did not come back in the second half.
Even at full strength, Morocco may not have beaten France on Wednesday, but there is little doubt that its chances were hampered by having to play the biggest match in its history with a makeshift defence. Unfortunately, that’s the fate of the underdog on these occasions. The final stages of World Cups are ultimately a test of resources as well as talent.
Very few teams outside of football’s established powerhouses make it to the semi-finals of a World Cup, meaning that just to do so is without a doubt an achievement in itself. The rare ones are, for the most part, easy to remember: Croatia in 2018 (and 1998), Uruguay in 2010, South Korea and Turkey in 2002, Bulgaria and Sweden in 1994.
But even fewer make it to the final. Of those teams, only Croatia made that final step four years ago. For everyone else, it was in the semifinals that the clock struck midnight, the reverie ended and cold, unforgiving reality took hold again.