Patrice Evra has named Morocco as his dark horse pick for the World Cup, praising their resilience ahead of a quarter-final rematch with France. The former Manchester United defender told Stake: 'A dark horse is not always the team with the biggest names. Sometimes it’s the team that is willing to suffer the most. If I have to pick one from the teams still alive, I like Morocco. They have character, they fight, they believe, and nobody enjoys playing against them in knockout football.'
Morocco's World Cup journey
Morocco became the first African nation to reach a World Cup semi-final four years ago in Qatar, losing to eventual runners-up France. Under Mohamed Ouahbi, they impressed again this summer with a 1-1 draw against five-time winners Brazil in their opener. Subsequent wins against Scotland and Haiti saw them finish second in Group C, advancing to the knockout rounds for only the third time in their history. They beat the Netherlands on penalties in the round of 32 and thumped co-hosts Canada to reach the quarter-finals.
France's perfect record
France, led by Didier Deschamps, have a perfect record at this World Cup and aim to become the third nation after West Germany and Brazil to reach three consecutive finals. Spearheaded by Kylian Mbappe, they pose a formidable challenge. However, Evra insists Mbappe cannot win alone: 'When you have Kylian Mbappe, of course you play to his strengths. That is normal. You don’t have that kind of weapon and pretend he is just another player. I’ve been tough on Kylian before, but never because of his talent. It’s because I want him to become even more complete, more responsible for the whole team, not just for the moments when he scores. What I like in this World Cup is that he’s making better decisions. He’s involving people more. France are stronger when Mbappe is at his best, but let’s be clear: you don’t win a World Cup with one player. Everyone still has to do their job.'
Upcoming fixtures
Should France defeat Morocco, they would face the winner of Spain versus Belgium for a place in the final on Sunday, July 19, in New Jersey. Evra, who captained France at the 2010 World Cup and reached the quarter-finals in 2014, believes Morocco's mindset could cause an upset.
